PRODUCTION OF TITANIUM METAL POWDER BY THE HDH PROCESS X Goso and A Kale Pyrometallurgy division, Mintek, Johannesburg

Laboratory scale tests were conducted at Mintek for the production of titanium powder from particulate Kroll sponge by the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation (HDH) process. The aim of this work was to produce titanium powder for powder metallurgical consolidations. The work involved the production of titanium powder at optimised conditions, which included hydrogenation in a horizontal tube furnace at 600°C for 2 hours, milling using planetary and roller mills, and dehydrogenation in a vacuumed retort fitted in a muffle furnace running at 700°C for 36 hours. The produced titanium powder matched the elemental specifications of commercially available titanium powder, except for high carbon content. Nevertheless, the powder has been tested further in mechanical alloying and has been found suitable for the production of powder metallurgical compacts.