The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 1990
Filed:
Jan. 02, 1989
Ernest D Lee, Ogden, UT (US);
David F McLaughlin, Oakmont, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
Removal of aluminum and iron impurities is accomplished using an absorbing column containing potassium or sodium chloride, producing an aluminum and iron chloride-rich bottoms product and purified Zr(Hf)Cl.sub.4 vapor at the top of the column. This invention is a continuous process for removing impurities of iron or aluminum chloride or both from vaporous zirconium chloride (or hafnium chloride or a mixture thereof). When iron is being removed from zirconium tetrachloride using potassium chloride, the process comprises: introducing impure zirconium chloride vapor into a middle portion of an absorbing column containing a potassium chloride-containing molten salt phase, the molten salt phase absorbing the iron chloride impurity to produce a zirconium chloride vapor stripped of iron chloride in the top portion of the column; introducing potassium chloride into a top portion of the column; controlling the top portion of the column to between 300.degree.-375.degree. C.; heating a bottom portion of the column to 450.degree.-550.degree. C. to vaporize zirconium chloride from the molten salt; withdrawing molten salt substantially free of zirconium and hafnium chloride from the bottom portion of the column; and withdrawing zirconium chloride vapor substantially free of iron chloride impurity from the top of the column. Similarly, hafnium or hafnium-zirconium mixtures can be substituted for zirconium, or aluminum or iron-aluminum can removed rather than iron, or sodium chloride or sodium potassium chloride mixtures can be substituted for potassium chloride.