Producing titanium metal via hydrogen-assisted reduction and exothermic casting

Abstract

Systems and methods for producing titanium metal. The method includes reacting at least one titanium compound with at least one reducing metal in a reaction vessel, containing heat generated from the reaction within the reaction vessel to form molten titanium, and casting the molten titanium into at least one solid part. In some embodiments, the titanium compound may be formed at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas.

Description

ORS-021PCPRODUCING TITANIUM METAU VIA HYDROGEN-ASSISTED REDUCTION AND EXOTHERMIC CASTING CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of and priority to United States Provisional Application No. 63 / 789,107, filed on April 15, 2025, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for producing titanium metal and alloys and, more specifically but not exclusively, to systems and methods for producing titanium metal and alloys via hydrogen-assisted reduction and exothermic casting.BACKGROUND

[0003] Titanium metal is widely used in a variety of applications due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. The predominant commercial process for titanium production is the Kroll process, in which titanium tetrachloride is reduced by a reactive metal such as magnesium to form titanium sponge. The titanium sponge is subsequently subjected to multiple downstream processing steps, including crushing into granules, pressing into pucks, welding into consumable electrodes, and remelting multiple times to produce homogeneous titanium ingots.

[0004] These steps, however, result in a thermodynamically inefficient process. The production of magnesium requires substantial energy input and excess heat generated during the reduction of titanium tetrachloride is typically dissipated rather than reused. The downstream steps additionally require substantial energy and time to perform. Alternative approaches, such as the Hunter process, have been explored but also suffer from substantial drawbacks including batch processing constraints, high reactivity of feedstocks, and challenges in scaling.

[0005] Accordingly, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for producing titanium metal and alloys.SUMMARY

[0006] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description section. This summary is not intended toORS-021PCidentify or exclude key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] In one aspect, the techniques described herein relate to a method for producing titanium metal, the method including: reacting at least one titanium compound with at least one reducing metal in a reaction vessel; containing heat generated from the reaction within the reaction vessel to form molten titanium; and casting the molten titanium into at least one solid part.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method further includes forming the titanium compound at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas.

[0009] In some embodiments, the titanium feedstock includes at least one of titanium tetrachloride, titanium trichloride, titanium dichloride, titanium disulfide, or titanium sulfide.

[0010] In some embodiments, the titanium feedstock includes titanium tetrachloride and the titanium compound includes titanium dichloride formed at least in part by reducing the titanium tetrachloride and disproportionating the resulting species.

[0011] In some embodiments, the hydrogen-based gas includes at least one of hydrogen gas or hydrogen sulfide.

[0012] In some embodiments, the solid part includes at least one of a net-shape or a near-net shape part requiring little or no finishing work.

[0013] In some embodiments, the reducing metal includes at least one of calcium or magnesium.

[0014] In some embodiments, the titanium compound includes at least one of titanium powder, titanium dichloride, titanium trichloride, or titanium tetrachloride.

[0015] In some embodiments, the solid part includes at least one of a titanium slab less than 4 inches thick or a titanium rod less than 4 inches in diameter.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes adding at least one alloying element or alloying-element bearing compound to the reaction mix of titanium compound and reducing metal to form a titanium alloy.

[0017] In another aspect, the techniques described herein relate to an apparatus for producing titanium metal, the apparatus including: a first reactor configured to form at least one titanium compound; a second reactor thermally insulated to contain heat generated from a reaction between at least a portion of the titanium compound and at least one reducing metal to form molten titanium; and a casting system configured to cast the molten titanium into at least one solid part.ORS-021PC

[0018] In some embodiments, the titanium compound is formed at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas.

[0019] In some embodiments, the titanium feedstock includes at least one of titanium tetrachloride, titanium trichloride, titanium dichloride, titanium disulfide, or titanium sulfide.

[0020] In some embodiments, the titanium feedstock includes titanium tetrachloride and the titanium compound includes titanium dichloride.

[0021] In some embodiments, the hydrogen-based gas includes at least one of hydrogen gas or hydrogen sulfide.

[0022] In some embodiments, the reducing metal includes at least one of calcium or magnesium.

[0023] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a milling system configured to shape cast titanium slabs into thinner titanium plates and sheet.

[0024] In yet another aspect, the techniques described herein relate to a method for producing titanium metal, the method including: partially reducing a titanium tetrachloride feedstock with hydrogen gas to form titanium trichloride; disproportionating the titanium trichloride by heating the titanium trichloride to form titanium dichloride; reacting the titanium dichloride with at least one reducing metal in a thermally insulated reaction vessel to form molten titanium; and casting the molten titanium into at least one solid part.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further includes adding at least one alloying element or alloying-element bearing compound to the reaction mix of reducing metal and titanium dichloride to form a titanium alloy.

[0026] In some embodiments, the solid part includes at least one of a net-shape or a near-net shape part requiring little or no finishing work.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for producing titanium metal in accordance with one embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method for producing titanium metal in accordance with one embodiment;ORS-021PC

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates flowcharts of chemical processes for producing titanium in accordance with one embodiment; and

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a chemical process for producing titanium using titanium dichloride disproportionation in accordance with one embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Various embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show specific exemplary embodiments. However, the concepts of the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided as part of a thorough and complete disclosure, to fully convey the scope of the concepts, techniques and implementations of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Embodiments may be practiced as methods, systems or devices. Accordingly, embodiments may take the form of a hardware implementation, an entirely software implementation or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0033] Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one example implementation or technique in accordance with the present disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.

[0034] Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. Portions of the present disclosure include processes and instructions that may be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied in software, may be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by a variety of operating systems.ORS-021PC

[0035] The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including standard hard drives, solid state storage, floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each may be coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, the computers referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.

[0036] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform one or more method steps. The structure for a variety of these systems is discussed in the description below. In addition, any particular programming language that is sufficient for achieving the techniques and implementations of the present disclosure may be used. A variety of programming languages may be used to implement the present disclosure as discussed herein.

[0037] In addition, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the disclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, and not limiting, of the scope of the concepts discussed herein.

[0038] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0039] Embodiments described herein include systems and methods for producing titanium metals and alloys via hydrogen-assisted reduction and exothermic casting. The described embodiments may react titanium feedstocks (e.g., titanium dichloride, titanium disulfide, etc.) with hydrogen-based gases to produce molten titanium metal. The molten titanium may be cast into titanium slabs (e.g., slabs approximately 1 inch thick) that can be shaped into sheets or other suitable forms.ORS-021PC

[0040] Unlike conventional processes in which reaction heat is dissipated or removed, the described embodiments may retain exothermic heat released from the chemical reactions within a reaction vessel. This may allow the production of molten titanium metal without requiring subsequent melting operations.

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for producing titanium metal. The system 100 may be configured to produce homogenous titanium metal using any of the methods described herein.

[0042] In some embodiments, the system 100 may include any number of reactor vessels, such as reactor vessels 102-1 and 102-2. The reactor vessels 102 may be configured to carry out various chemical processes for producing homogeneous titanium metal. For example, the reactor vessel 102-1 may reduce and / or partially reduce titanium feedstock 104 to produce suitable intermediate compounds. The reactor vessel 102-2 may react suitable reactants, such as calcium metal, with the intermediate compounds to produce molten titanium 106. Additional details regarding these chemical processes are described herein.

[0043] Any of the reactor vessels 102 may be configured to operate at elevated temperatures sufficient to drive the chemical reactions (e.g., reduction reactions) while maintaining the desired phase behavior of the reactants and products. For example, the reactor vessels 102 may operate at temperatures in a range of approximately 500 to 1500 degrees Celsius. The reactor vessels 102 may include temperature management features to maintain a desired temperature range, such as external heaters, heat exchangers, and / or thermal jackets configured to supply or remove heat as needed. The reactor vessels 102 may be constructed from materials resistant to corrosion and degradation in the presence of corrosive compounds. For example, the reactor vessels 102 may include linings or components formed from refractory metals, ceramics, and / or corrosion-resistant alloys.

[0044] In some embodiments, the reactor vessels 102 may be thermally insulated to retain heat generated during a chemical reaction. For example, the reactor vessel 102-2 may be thermally insulated to retain heat generated during reactions between the calcium metal and titanium intermediates. In some embodiments, the insulation may include multiple layers of refractory insulation, vacuum insulation, and / or reflective barriers to minimize conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat losses. By retaining the heat of reaction, the reactor vessels 102 may allow for the direct formation of the molten titanium 106 without external heating or with only minimal supplemental heating.

[0045] In some embodiments, the system 100 may include downstream processing systems to further process the molten titanium 106. The processing systems may perform various post-ORS-021PCprocessing tasks, such as hot rolling, cold rolling, extrusion, machining, chemical etching, and / or pressing. For example, as shown, the system may include a casting system 108 and a milling system 110. The processing systems may be integrated with other components of the system 100 to form a continuous assembly line. However, it is to be appreciated that the processing systems may be located in a separate system.

[0046] The casting system 108 may be configured to cast the molten titanium 106 into solid parts, such as slabs, billets, and / or ingots. In some embodiments, the solid parts may include net-shape or near-net shape parts that require little or no finishing work.

[0047] In some embodiments, the casting system 108 may include a transfer conduit that allows the molten titanium 106 to be conveyed from the reaction vessels 102 while minimizing exposure to air and / or moisture. The casting system 108 may include various molds configured to shape the molten titanium into the solid parts. The molds may include water-cooled copper molds, graphite molds, and / or ceramic molds.

[0048] In some embodiments, the casting system 108 may cast the molten titanium 106 into slabs less than 4 inches thick and / or rods less than 4 inches in diameter. In some embodiments, the slabs may be approximately 1 inch thick, and the rods may be approximately 1 inch in diameter.

[0049] The milling system 110 may be configured to mill the cast titanium into thinner sheets and / or plates, such as titanium sheets 112. The milling system 110 may include rolling mills (e.g., hot or cold rolling mills) for rolling the cast titanium. The milling system 110 may include heaters (e.g., a furnace) to heat the cast titanium to a temperature suitable for hot rolling.

[0050] In some embodiments, any of the components of the system 100 may be maintained under an inert or controlled environment to prevent ingress of oxygen, nitrogen, or moisture, which could otherwise react with the titanium. For example, the reactor vessels 102 may be contained within an inert glovebox.

[0051] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method 200 for producing titanium metal in accordance with one embodiment. While FIG. 2 shows illustrative operations according to one embodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and / or modify any of the operations shown in FIG. 2. Moreover, each of the operations depicted in FIG. 2 may be performed in any of the ways described herein. The operations shown in FIG. 2 may be performed by any of the illustrative systems described herein, such as the system 100.

[0052] Operation 202 may include forming a titanium compound at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas. The titanium feedstock may include highlyORS-021PCreactive or volatile compounds. In some embodiments, the titanium feedstock may include a titanium halide, such as titanium tetrachloride, titanium trichloride, and / or titanium dichloride.

[0053] In some embodiments, the reduction may be a partial reduction that converts the titanium feedstock into the titanium compound. The hydrogen-based gas may be hydrogen gas and / or any other suitable gaseous hydrogen-based compound, such as hydrogen sulfide.

[0054] The hydrogen-based reduction process may produce hydrogen chloride as a gaseous byproduct. This may simplify downstream processing, as hydrogen chloride remains in the gas phase after the unreacted titanium tetrachloride is condensed and extracted.

[0055] In contrast, conventional reduction processes often use aluminum as a reducing agent. Aluminum-based reduction may produce solid aluminum trichloride as a byproduct. Continuous operation of conventional systems requires removal of the solid aluminum trichloride without introducing contaminants such as oxygen, nitrogen, or water vapor, which may react with titanium and degrade product quality. Additionally, accumulation of solid aluminum trichloride on cold surfaces, such as a cold finger, may increase thermal resistance over time, thereby reducing heat transfer efficiency and complicating process control. Silicon impurities in the aluminum may further volatilize as silicon tetrachloride, necessitating additional separation stages, such as secondary cold traps, to remove the silicon.

[0056] In some embodiments, the reduction process may be operated under temperature conditions selected to favor formation of the titanium compound. For example, the operating temperature may be at least 500 degrees Celsius and, in some embodiments, at least 1000 degrees Celsius.

[0057] In some embodiments, the titanium compound may include a partially-reduced titanium compound. In some embodiments, the titanium compound may include at least one of titanium powder, titanium trichloride, or titanium dichloride. In some embodiments, the titanium compound may include a compound with a lower vapor pressure than the titanium feedstock, such as titanium dichloride. This may lower the volatility of the titanium compound and facilitate downstream processing. The reaction may occur within a suitable reactor vessel, such as the reactor vessel 102-1.

[0058] In some embodiments, titanium dichloride may be produced by reducing titanium tetrachloride to titanium trichloride using hydrogen gas. The titanium trichloride may be thermally disproportionated to titanium dichloride. Alternatively, the titanium tetrachloride may be directly reduced to titanium dichloride, provided the temperature is high enough (e.g., at least 1000 degrees Celsius).ORS-021PC

[0059] In some embodiments, operation 202 may be paired with other suitable processes for producing titanium metal, such as the Kroll process. This may allow for cheaper titanium production compared to conventional processes, as hydrogen-based reduction is far cheaper than aluminum-based reduction.

[0060] While the titanium compound is described as being derived from reducing a titanium feedstock, it is to be appreciated that the titanium compound may be derived from any suitable process.

[0061] Operation 204 may include reacting the titanium compound with at least one reducing metal in a reaction vessel. The reducing metal may include any suitable metal, such as calcium, magnesium, and / or sodium. For example, titanium dichloride and / or titanium trichloride may be reacted with calcium. The reaction may produce homogenous titanium metal and various byproducts, such as calcium chloride for a calcium-based reaction. The reducing metal may act as a reducing agent for producing the titanium metal. The reaction may be highly exothermic.

[0062] The titanium compound and reducing metal may be introduced into the reaction vessel in controlled proportions. In some embodiments, the reaction vessel may be separate from the reaction vessel used for operation 202. In some embodiments, the same vessel may be used for both operations. The reaction vessel may be sealed or maintained under an inert atmosphere, such as argon, to prevent oxidation or contamination of the reactants and products.

[0063] Operation 206 may include containing heat generated from the reaction within the reaction vessel. The reaction vessel at operation 206 may be thermally insulated to retain heat generated during the exothermic reaction at operation 206. The retained heat may be used to maintain the produced titanium metal in a molten state.

[0064] Operation 208 may include casting the molten titanium into at least one solid part. The molten titanium may be transferred to a suitable casting system, such as the casting system 108. The casting system may include a mold to cast the titanium into at least one solid part, such as slabs, billets, and / or ingots. For example, the molten titanium may be cast into slabs approximately 1 to 4 inches thick.

[0065] In some embodiments, the cast titanium may be further processed in various downstream steps, such as hot rolling, cold rolling, extrusion, machining, chemical etching, and / or pressing. For example, a milling system (e.g., the milling system 110) may roll the cast titanium into titanium sheets.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method 200 may be configured to produce titanium alloys. Alloying elements and / or alloying-element bearing compounds may be added at any step of theORS-021PCmethod 200. For example, alloying elements may be introduced to a reaction mix of reducing metal and the titanium compound (e.g., titanium dichloride). In some embodiments, the alloying elements may be introduced to the molten titanium. Exemplary alloying elements may include aluminum, nickel, silicon, iron, chromium, copper, tin, and / or manganese.

[0067] The introduction of alloying elements may reduce the melting point of the resulting mixture, thereby facilitating formation and retention of a molten titanium alloy for subsequent casting. For example, nickel may be introduced to create a titanium-nickel alloy with a melting temperature of 942 degrees Celsius at 30 wt% nickel. Silicon may be introduced to create a titanium-silicon alloy with a melting temperature of 1400 degrees Celsius at only 7 wt% silicon. This compares to a melting temperature of approximately 1700 degrees Celsius for pure titanium. Keeping alloys molten for longer may enable improved homogeneity and efficiency relative to conventional methods that rely on repeated melting.

[0068] While the method 200 is described as using titanium tetrachloride as the primary feedstock material for producing titanium, it is to be appreciated that other suitable feedstock material may be used. FIG. 3 illustrates flowcharts of various chemical processes 300 (e.g., processes 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3) for producing titanium.

[0069] The processes 300 may produce homogenous titanium metal via hydrogen-assisted reduction of titanium tetrachloride. The process 300-1 is similar to the method 200, where titanium tetrachloride may be reduced to titanium dichloride using hydrogen gas and then reacted with calcium metal to form titanium metal.

[0070] Alternatively, as shown with the processes 300-2 and 300-3, titanium sulfides may be used to form titanium metal. Titanium sulfides, such as titanium disulfide, form extended covalent network structures that exhibit relatively low vapor pressures and require elevated temperatures to vaporize. Sulfur also exhibits limited solubility in titanium metal, for example on the order of approximately 0.007 wt%, which is significantly lower than the solubility of oxygen in titanium. These characteristics make titanium sulfides particularly well-suited for high-temperature reduction reactions to produce titanium metal.

[0071] At process 300-2, titanium sulfides may be derived from titanium tetrachloride feedstock. As shown, for example, titanium tetrachloride may react with hydrogen sulfide to form titanium disulfide and intermediates such as titanium dichloride. The titanium dichloride may be converted to additional titanium disulfide via extended reaction with hydrogen sulfide.

[0072] The titanium disulfide may react with at least one reducing metal, such as calcium metal. The reaction may be an exothermic reaction. The primary byproduct of reacting withORS-021PCcalcium may be calcium sulfide, which has a high melting point (approximately 2525 degrees Celsius) and may be present in solid or molten form depending on process conditions.

[0073] At the process 300-3, titanium tetrachloride may react with a mixture of hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen gas to produce a mixture of titanium sulfide and titanium dichloride. The produced mixture may react with calcium metal to produce titanium metal and a mixture of calcium sulfide and calcium chloride as a byproduct. In some embodiments, the calcium chloride may act as a fluxing agent for the calcium sulfide.

[0074] In some embodiments, byproducts generated during the processes 300 may be recycled upstream. For example, at the processes 300-2 and 300-3, produced hydrogen sulfide may react with calcium sulfide and / or a mixture of calcium sulfide and calcium chloride to regenerate hydrogen sulfide. The regenerated hydrogen sulfide may be recycled for use in upstream sulfidation reactions to produce further titanium disulfide and / or titanium dichloride. In some embodiments, calcium metal may be recycled from calcium chloride, such as by electrolyzing the calcium chloride. The calcium metal may be used to react with a titanium compound (e.g., titanium disulfide and / or titanium dichloride) to form further titanium metal. This may improve overall process efficiency and reduce reactant consumption.

[0075] While the methods above describe converting titanium dichloride into titanium metal using calcium metal, in some embodiments, the titanium dichloride may be disproportionated into titanium metal. FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a chemical process 400 for producing titanium using titanium dichloride disproportionation.

[0076] As shown, titanium tetrachloride may react with hydrogen gas to produce titanium trichloride. The titanium trichloride may be disproportionated into titanium dichloride. These steps may be similar to operation 202. The titanium dichloride may then be further disproportionated into titanium metal. This disproportionation may be driven by vacuum evacuation of more volatile compounds, such as titanium tetrachloride and titanium trichloride.

[0077] In some embodiments, byproducts of the disproportionation reactions may be recycled within the process 400. For example, the disproportionation reactions may produce titanium tetrachloride and titanium trichloride as byproducts, which may be recycled upstream for producing titanium metal.

[0078] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, in alternative configurations, the methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and that various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, featuresORS-021PCdescribed with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also, technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

[0079] Embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and / or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrent or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality / acts involved. Additionally, or alternatively, not all of the blocks shown in any flowchart need to be performed and / or executed. For example, if a given flowchart has five blocks containing functions / acts, it may be the case that only three of the five blocks are performed and / or executed. In this example, any of the three of the five blocks may be performed and / or executed.

[0080] A statement that a value exceeds (or is more than) a first threshold value is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold value that is slightly greater than the first threshold value, e.g., the second threshold value being one value higher than the first threshold value in the resolution of a relevant system. A statement that a value is less than (or is within) a first threshold value is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold value that is slightly lower than the first threshold value, e.g., the second threshold value being one value lower than the first threshold value in the resolution of the relevant system.

[0081] Specific details are given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description provides example configurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of the configurations will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing described techniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

[0082] Having described several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeORS-021PCprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of various implementations or techniques of the present disclosure. The systems and methods involving hardware and software and / or functional parts therefore may be physically integrated into or housed inside or attached to another device, be it an imaging device, a stimulus or electrophysiological recording device, and patient audio device, etc. Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are considered.

[0083] Having been provided with the description and illustration of the present application, one skilled in the art may envision variations, modifications, and alternate embodiments falling within the general inventive concept discussed in this application that do not depart from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

ORS-021PCCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for producing titanium metal, the method comprising:reacting at least one titanium compound with at least one reducing metal in a reaction vessel;containing heat generated from the reaction within the reaction vessel to form molten titanium; andcasting the molten titanium into at least one solid part.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the titanium compound at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the titanium feedstock comprises at least one of titanium tetrachloride, titanium trichloride, titanium dichloride, titanium disulfide, or titanium sulfide.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the titanium feedstock comprises titanium tetrachloride and the titanium compound comprises titanium dichloride formed at least in part by reducing the titanium tetrachloride and disproportionating the resulting species.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the hydrogen-based gas comprises at least one of hydrogen gas or hydrogen sulfide.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid part comprises at least one of a net-shape or a near-net shape part requiring little or no finishing work.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reducing metal comprises at least one of calcium or magnesium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the titanium compound comprises at least one of titanium powder, titanium dichloride, titanium trichloride, or titanium tetrachloride.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid part comprises at least one of a titanium slab less than 4 inches thick or a titanium rod less than 4 inches in diameter.ORS-021PC10. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding at least one alloying element or alloying-element bearing compound to the reaction mix of titanium compound and reducing metal to form a titanium alloy.

11. An apparatus for producing titanium metal, the apparatus comprising:a first reactor configured to form at least one titanium compound;a second reactor thermally insulated to contain heat generated from a reaction between at least a portion of the titanium compound and at least one reducing metal to form molten titanium; anda casting system configured to cast the molten titanium into at least one solid part.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the titanium compound is formed at least in part by reducing a titanium feedstock using a hydrogen-based gas.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the titanium feedstock comprises at least one of titanium tetrachloride, titanium trichloride, titanium dichloride, titanium disulfide, or titanium sulfide.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the titanium feedstock comprises titanium tetrachloride and the titanium compound comprises titanium dichloride.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the hydrogen-based gas comprises at least one of hydrogen gas or hydrogen sulfide.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the reducing metal comprises at least one of calcium or magnesium.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a milling system configured to shape cast titanium slabs into thinner titanium plates and sheet.

18. A method for producing titanium metal, the method comprising:partially reducing a titanium tetrachloride feedstock with hydrogen gas to form titanium trichloride;disproportionating the titanium trichloride by heating the titanium trichloride to form titanium dichloride;ORS-021PCreacting the titanium dichloride with at least one reducing metal in a thermally insulated reaction vessel to form molten titanium; andcasting the molten titanium into at least one solid part.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising adding at least one alloying element or alloying-element bearing compound to the reaction mix of reducing metal and titanium dichloride to form a titanium alloy.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the solid part comprises at least one of a net-shape or a near-net shape part requiring little or no finishing work.

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