LAUSR

Abstract In the industrial smelting process for titanium metal, liquid TiCl4 is supplied on molten magnesium and reduced to porous titanium in a closed steel or stainless steel container at 800–900 °C. In the present study, in-situ observation on the magnesiothermic reduction of TiCl4 was performed by microfocus X-ray fluoroscopy. We successfully observed that the molten magnesium creeps up on container walls rapidly and that porous titanium is mainly deposited and grows on the walls by reduction of gaseous TiCl4 by the magnesium. This unique behavior of magnesium is attributed to the capillary action of molten magnesium through pores of titanium deposited on the walls.