Patent US2276814A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3853541A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for producing aluminum metal directly from ore
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-11-20
•
Granted: 1974-12-10
•
Expires: 1992-11-20
Abstract
Abstract Aluminum is separated from aluminous ores, hitherto considered unusable, through tri-halide - sub-halide conversions. Aluminum oxide is halogenated to a volatile tri-halide. This is converted above 1000*C, and preferably at 1500*-1800*C, with additional aluminum from the ore, to give a hot gas stream containing three moles of mono-halide. By cooling this gas stream in not more than 1 to 5 seconds, the mono-halide reverts to one mole of tri-halide and two atoms of pure metallic aluminum. The flash cooling uses direct contact with a liquid halide of aluminum or a liquid solution of a halide of aluminum and a volatile or a relatively non-volatile halide of a metal above aluminum in the halide affinity series.
Inventors
- 👤 D Othmer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:26
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B21/00; C22B21/0038; C22B21/0046
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ALUMINIUM FROM AN ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT BELOW 107 COMPRISING: A. PASSING SAID ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE IN A GAS STREAM AT A HIGH TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1,100*AND 1,800*C INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH A COOLANT LIQUID IN DISPERSED FLOW, SAID COOLANT LIQUID CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE NORMAL ALUMINIUM HALIDE CORRESPONDING TO SAID ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE; B. FLASH COOLING WITHIN NOT MORE THAN 5 SECOND, BY MEANS OF SAID COOLANT LIQUID IN DISPERSED FLOW, SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID HIGH TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1100* AND 1800*C TO A LOW TEMPERATURE, BELOW 1,000*C; WHEREBY C. SAID ALUMINUM SUBHALIDE DISPROPORTIONS TO GIVE ALUMINUM METAL AND SAID CORRESPONDING NORMAL ALUMINUM HALIDE; AND D. SEPARATING BY PHYSICAL MEANS SAID CORRESPONDING NORMAL ALUMINUM HALIDE AND SAID ALUMINUM METAL.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ALUMINIUM FROM AN ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT BELOW 107 COMPRISING: A. PASSING SAID ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE IN A GAS STREAM AT A HIGH TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1,100*AND 1,800*C INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH A COOLANT LIQUID IN DISPERSED FLOW, SAID COOLANT LIQUID CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE NORMAL ALUMINIUM HALIDE CORRESPONDING TO SAID ALUMINIUM SUBHALIDE; B. FLASH COOLING WITHIN NOT MORE THAN 5 SECOND, BY MEANS OF SAID COOLANT LIQUID IN DISPERSED FLOW, SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID HIGH TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1100* AND 1800*C TO A LOW TEMPERATURE, BELOW 1,000*C; WHEREBY C. SAID ALUMINUM SUBHALIDE DISPROPORTIONS TO GIVE ALUMINUM METAL AND SAID CORRESPONDING NORMAL ALUMINUM HALIDE; AND D. SEPARATING BY PHYSICAL MEANS SAID CORRESPONDING NORMAL ALUMINUM HALIDE AND SAID ALUMINUM METAL.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said aluminum subhalide is AlBr; and said normal aluminum halide is AlBr2.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said aluminum subhalide is AlCl; and said normal aluminum halide is alCl3.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said aluminum subhalide is AlF; and said normal aluminum halide is AlF3.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
In the process according to claim 1, wherein said disproportioning reaction and said flash cooling both take place under superatmospheric pressure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said hot gases are flash cooled from their high temperature to not more than 700*C by said coolant liquid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said hot gases are flash cooled from their high temperature to substantially the boiling temperature of said coolant liquid within not more than one second.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein the boiling temperature of said coolant liquid is between 136*C and 725*C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherin at least part of the heat removed in cooling said hot gas stream is used to boil at least part of said coolant liquid.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
In the process according to claim 9 wherein the vapors formed in boiling said coolant liquid are condensed at least in part by a reflux condenser which returns at least a part of the condensate so formed to the reservoir pool of said coolant liquid in a flash condenser.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
In the process according to claim 9 wherein said normal halide is AlCl3 said subhalide is AlCl; said coolant is a mixture of NaCl and AlCl3 maintained in a mole ratio to boil while cooling said high temperature gas stream in a flash condenser between 200* and 325*C and give vapors of said NaCl and said AlCl3, substantially all of said wapors of NaCl and at least part of said vapors of AlCl3 being condensed in a reflux condenser to give a condensate which is passed, at least in part, back to said flash condenser.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said coolant liquid contains together with said normal aluminum halide, an added halide of a metal higher than aluminum in the corresponding halogen affinity series.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
In the process according to claim 12 wherein said added halide forms a double salt with said normal aluminum halide contained in said coolant liquid.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
In the process according to claim 13 wherein said double salt is in a liquid solution with said normal aluminum halide during said flash cooling.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
In the process according to claim 13 ehrein said normal halide is AlCl3, said subhalide is AlCl, and said added halide is NaCl.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
In the process according to claim 14 wherein said normal halide is AlCl3, said subhalide is AlCl and said added halide is MnCl2.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
In the process according to claim 12 wherein said coolant liquid containing said added halide and said normal aluminum halide has a lower vapor pressure and a higher vaporizing temperature than that of said normal aluminum halide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
In the process according to claim 12 whrein said coolant liquid containing said added halide and said normal aluminum halide has a higher vapor pressure and a lower vaporizing temperature than that of said normal aluminum halide.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
148 words
In the process according to claim 18 wherein said normal halide is AlCl3, said subhalide is AlCl and said added halide is TiCl4; heat removed from said hot gases boils said coolant liquid to give vapors; said vapors are passed through a distillation zone to a reflux condenser wherein the mole ratio of TiCl4 to AlCl3 is the highest in the process; condensate from said relux condenser passes in dispersed flow back through said distillation zone as coolant liquid; said hot gases contact said condensate in said dispersed flow at an intermediary point in said distillation zone; the mole ratio of TlCl4 to AlCl3 in the coolant liquid is low at the bottom of said distillation zone; and at said bottom of said distillation zone said coolant liquid with said aluminum produced is accumulated in a slurry, said aluminum being subsequently separated from said slurry by physical means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
58 words
In the process according to claim 19 wherein said hot gas stream comes from the chlorination of alumina originally present in an ore and said TiCl4 comes from titania present in said ore, said titania having been chlorinated by AlCl3, and said TiCl4 so formed having been recycled to form in solution a part of said coolant liquid.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
53 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein said hot gas stream comes from the halogenation of aluminum oxide originally present in an ore; and at least a part of said normal aluminum halide in said coolant liquid separated from said aluminum produced is returned to halogenate said aluminum oxide in said ore.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
60 words
In the process according to claim 21 wherein said ore also contains an iron oxide; and at least a part of said normal aluminum halide in said coolant liquid separated from said aluminum produced is passed to halogenate preferentially said iron oxide in said ore to an iron halide, thereby producing aluminum oxide from the aluminum in said aluminum halide.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
69 words
In the process according to claim 22 wherein said aluminum oxide, produced by halogenating preferentially said iron oxide in said ore by at least a part of said normal aluminum halide separated from said aluminum, is subsequently halogenated at a higher temperature together with said aluminum oxide originally present in said ore by another part of said normal aluminum halide in said coolant liquid, separated from said aluminum produced.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
19 words
In the process according to claim 23 wherein said normal halide as AlCl3 and said normal halide is AlCl.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
In the process according to claim 1 wherein at least part of the heat removed from said hot gas stream by said coolant liquid is removed from said coolant liquid by cooling coils immersed in a reservoir thereof, said cooling coils being supplied with a secondary coolant fluid.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1866731A
Cited
US1987629A
Cited
CH261162A
Cited
FR1019261A
Cited
GB734480A
Cited
US3244509A
Cited
US3186832A
Cited
US3466169A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-09 | 1978-06-10 | 1978-12-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-09 | 1982-06-10 | 1982-12-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-09 | 1986-06-10 | 1986-12-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |