A process to produce titanium powder continuously is proposed and its
applicability is examined experimentally. The method is based on the chemical
reaction in the conventional Kroll reduction process; however, TiCl4 gas is
injected into molten salt on which a molten magnesium layer is floated as the
reductant. Bubbles of gaseous TiCl4 can be reacted at the lower surface of
the liquid Mg layer, while TiCl4 gas reacts on the upper surface in the
Kroll process. The fine Ti particles produced in this study were well separated
from magnesium and could be recovered from the bottom of the molten salts. The
particles were small and fine enough for use in powder metallurgy, while
congregated lumps of about 20 micro m in size are obtained by the Kroll process.
The composition of molten salts and an operation temperature above 1073 K did
not affect the morphology of the Ti particles, if suitable material for the
reaction vessel was chosen.