摘要 |
A process of producing a metal from the corresponding metal halide by reaction of the metal halide with a reducing agent to form the metal and a halide of the reducing agent, the reaction taking place at elevated temperature and at atmospheric pressure in a reactor comprising a fluidised bed of seed particles of the metal, which process comprises: injecting into the reactor an inert gas at a rate and in an amount effective to form a fluidised bed of the seed particles and to ensure that unreacted reductant and the halide of the reducing agent do not condense in the reactor under the prevailing conditions of temperature and pressure; maintaining the maximum temperature in the reactor below the melting point of the metal; and delivering the metal halide and reducing agent into the fluidised bed in a manner that favours formation of the metal on the seed particles over formation of the metal by homogeneous gas phase reaction between the metal halide and reducing agent.
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