Electrolytic Ti Powder Production from Ore Sources

Abstract

Titanium powder is produced from a small fraction of sieved sponge, HDH of sponge or gas blown from a melt produced billet. Ore from foreign sources is chlorinated in a very high temperature fluid bed to make TiCl 4, then vacuum distilled purified and then reduced to sponge by Kroll processing. Domestic ores of ilmenite or perovskite can be carbothermically reduced to Ti 2 OC which can be chlorinated at low temperatures of 250-400°C to produce TiCl 4 which can be electrolyzed in a fused salt to Ti powder, or the Ti 2 OC used as an anode in electrolysis to produce Ti powder. The electrolysis process can be operated continuously to produce Ti powder at a lower cost than Kroll processed sponge including produce control size powder. Electrolysis processing was scaled up and operated at the commercial demonstration stage on a continued basis that verifies the potential of a low cost process to produce Ti powder.