Titanium Production and Innovations

Innovation in Metallurgical Plants and Processes

Victorine Boutuille
Riccardo Caccia
Andrea Cardillo
Andrea Monfredini
 Summary

Titanium Production processes Innovations Buisness case

 Properties  Ores  Scrap consolidation  Competitors

 Applications  Kroll process  Twist Extrustion  Market share

 Producers  Hunter process  One-Melt  Market trend

 FFC Cambridge process  Financials

 Armstrong process  Fundraising

 ROI

Titanium Production and Innovations

2
 Titanium - Properties
“For many of us, titanium connotes a high quality metal … We get a clue from just the name
alone, as it calls to mind the Titans, the formidable giants who preceded the gods of Olympus.”
Metalary.com

Properties :

• Low density
• Good mechanical properties
• Excellent corrosion resistance
• Good high temperature
performances
• Biocompatibility

Comparison table of material properties (normalized on titanium)

Source:
Hao W. Overview and Prospect of the World Titanium
Emerging Applications Market (2011) 3
 Titanium – Applications

Titanium’s particular set of properties makes it perfect for application in several field such as:

• Aviation
• Aerospace
• Military
• Biomedical
• Chemical
• Shipbuilding
• Automotive

2018 45
Other
2006
17 11
17
Industrial and Commercial
57
Emerging Markets 15 Aerospace

Military

Source:
Titanium - Industrial Base, Price Trends, and Technology
Initiatives (2009) 4
 Titanium – Drawbacks

In spite of its properties its use is limited due to:

• Limited ware behavior

$$$
• Difficulty to machine
• High reactivity
• Cost

Despite the fame of titanium metal and alloys, most of the titanium ore (95% to be exact) is
used to create titanium dioxide (TiO2), only a small part is used for metal titanium production

Source:
Dutta B, Froes FH (Sam. The Additive Manufacturing (AM) of
titanium alloys. Met Powder Rep (2017) 5
 Titanium – Producers

The main producer of titanium changed in the years and nowadays China represent the
global leader and is expected to lead world growth in production and consumption

Source:
Titanium - Industrial Base, Price Trends, and Technology
Initiatives (2009) 6
 Titanium – Ores

Titanium ores comparison

Rutile Ilmenite
Ti Content Up to 90% < 75%
Purity High Low
Price Expensive Cheap
Deposits Limited Extensive

Geographical distribution:
Upgrade Ilmenite process: Becher
• Australia
• United States
• Canada
• South Africa
• Sierra Leone
• Ukraine
• Russia
• Norway
• Malaysia
Source:
A literature review of titanium slag metallurgical processes
(2012) 7
 Production processes

Source:
Titanium alloy production technology, market prospects and
industry development (2011) 8
 Production processes – Kroll

⇨ Invented in 1937 : 4 steps - Most used

● Chlorination process
○ Titanium dioxide too stable :
Titanium tetrachloride more easily reduced

● Purification of Titanium tetrachloride

○ Distillation : final product pure (>99,9% Ti)
○ Dry storage tank to avoid chloride fumes

● Reduction to Titanium sponge

○ Addition of magnesium in excess

● Processing of Titanium sponge

○ Compression : electrode
○ Electric arc melting crucible

Source:
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/metals/titanium.html
9
 Production processes - Hunter

⇨ Developed in 1910

● Very similar to Kroll but reducrtion using Sodium

TiCl4 + 4 Na → 4 NaCl + Ti
● Higher cost :
○ Use in small scale production
○ Supply small high purity powder market

● Almost replaced by Kroll process

1 2 3 4

Chlorination Purification Reduction Processing

To be able to use the ore >99% pure Using NA The sponge is processed

Source:
https://www.chemicalnews.org/titanium-sponge-market-is-
expected-to-gain-popularity-across-the-globe-by-2026/ 10
 Production processes - FFC

⇨ Researches from late 90’s

● Electrolytic method
○ Cheap start (TiO2 )
○ Need purification

● Process :
○ Crushed rutile shaped into pellet : Cathode
○ Molten calcium chloride bath (800°C-1000°C)
○ Reduction

● Advantages / Drawbacks
○ Smaller production scale
○ Saving energy : lower temperature
○ Production with low enough oxygen content
○ Industrial scale

Source:
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/metals/titanium.html
11
 Production process - Armstrong

⇨ Invented in 1996

● One of the most advanced yet not new

● Evolution of hunter process : Na as reductant

TiCl4 + 4 Na → 4 NaCl + Ti

● Process
○ Nozzle spray Na
○ TiCl4 injected a sonic speed in the flow
○ Collect Ti, NaCl and residual sodium
○ Filtration / distillation for Na and wash Ti

● Advantages / Drawbacks
○ Continuous
○ Low operating temperature ○ Final output is irregular powder
○ High purity of product ○ High cost of reductant agent
○ Possibility of alloy powder

Source:
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/metals/titanium.html
12
Innovations in titanium production

Scrap consolidation One melting processes

Twist extrusion

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 Innovations – Scrap consolidation

equal channel angular Feedstock

pressing (ECAP) it is made by commercially pure
(CP) Titanium chips
- temperatures
between 400°C and
600°C
- pressure ranging Better than alloyed
from 50 to 200 Mpa
- Full consolidation with
densities from 4.50 to
Main consolidation effect 4.53 g/cm3
- The strength is
provided by the shearing comparable with that
stress acting on the piece obtained from ECAP of
when it is in ingot or particulate Ti.
correspondence of the Improvement of
corner. mechanical properties

occurs in the first two passes,

due to
- refining of the granes
- reorganization of
dislocations

Source:

Recycling of titanium machining chips by severe plastic 14

deformation consolidation (2010)
 Innovations – One Melt

Plasma Arc Melting (PAM) Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

+ a single EBM can - very huge capital cost to

+ no need of vacuum - very huge capital cost to produce more than convert already existing
chamber convert already existing 15 tons in less than plants
+ possibility of plants 14 days. - It is required to maintain
continuous casting - need of shielding gas + Cost-saving vacuum in a very large
alternative to VAR for volume
new facilities

Sources:
Casting of titanium and its alloys (1986)
Titanium - Industrial Base, Price Trends, and Technology 15
Initiatives (2009)
Cost Affordable Titanium – An Update (2006)
 Innovations – Twist Extrusion

Characteristics of the TE Center crerated by

Dоnetsk Institute for Physics and Engineering

-maximum pressure 2000 MPa;

-maximum backpressure 700 MPa;
-temperature of the container and
the die up to 400°C;
-ram velocity 3 mm/sec;
-dimensions of the specimens
30x40x140 mm3.

Results with billets of CP titanium processed by four passes of TE

followed by rolling.

Source:
Twist Extrusion: Fundamentals and Applications (2010)
16
Innovations – Twist Extrusion

Hydromechanical twist extrusion (schematic):

-1 workpiece;

-2 helical die;

-3 plunger;

-4 schematic of the helical channel of the die;

-5 container;

-6 and 7 two high-pressure chambers connected together;

-8 valve;

-9 rod;

-10 auxiliary bushing.

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Innovations – Twist Extrusion

σuts σys

2 passes

4 passes

Non homogeneous strain distribution

during the extrusion.

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 Business Case – Trend Analysis

12th of November
RAND Corp. (2009)

ICIS (8/2018)

Source:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
MetalMiner 19
 Business Case – Demand Drivers

Sponge 3660 t 6530 t

+ 78%

Mill Products 120 M$ 200 M$

+ 69%

2019 - 395.000 t
+ 6,7%

2018 - 370.000 t

Source:
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Yearbook
www.titanium.com 20
 Business Case – Market share

Geographic Distribution of World Titanium Sponge Production Capacity, comparison between 2005 and 2015

US
Ucraine 8%
4% Japan
21%

Russia
15%

Kazakhstan
8%
China
45%

total production: 114.000 ton total production: 316.000 ton

Source:
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries (2016)
Titanium - Industrial Base, Price Trends, and Technology 21
Initiatives (2009)
 Competitors - EcoTitanium

Up to four thousand tons of titanium alloy annually.

prevent the emission of 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year

estimated total cost of the plant 48 million €

30 million € Loan from the European Investment Bank

A Titanium scrap recycling facility

that uses the latest technology in plasma and
vacuum furnaces that consume less energy than
other melting methods.

It was inaugurated in September 2017

Competitors assesment
22
 Competitors - Metalysis

Competitors assesment
23
 Business Case - Financials

Metal Analyzers - 20.000 $ each

For manual or automatic inspection of the scrap flow
Removal of unwanted metal fractions and quality control
source: Direct Industry

Scrap Cleaning Machine

30.000 $ - 20kW - 500 kg/h
Lubricants and coolant removal from scraps
source: Alibaba

Vacuum furnace
50.000$ - 150 kW - 300 kg/h at 1100°C
Calciothermic deoxidation of the titanium scrap
source: Alibaba

Source:
Direct Industry
Alibaba 24
Deoxidation of Titanium Scrap by Calciothermic Reduction
(2013)
 Business Case - Financials

4 post Hydraulic press

200.000 $ - 50 kW - 1000 ton
For the primary consolidation step

Horizontal extrusion press

600.000 $ - 300 kW - 2000 ton
to achieve the twist extrusion of the billets

Source:
Affordable Machinery
IMT-MACH 25
 Business Case - Financials

Factory
1.000.000 € - 1300 mq
strategic location (between the highway and railroad)

Photovoltaic plant
315.000 € - 210 kWp
Green energy source with SHARP NDAH320

Source:
CapitalWorld
SHARP GmbH 26
 Business Case – Fundraising

Excellent Science: emerging technologies

Industrial implementation of state-of-art laboratory
technologies, that will require qualified personnel that can
foster further research and development.

Industrial leadership: price abatement

Production with reduced electrical consumption, while at
the same time increased mechanical properties, allows to
obtain a 40% price reduction on titanium bars.
Societal challenge: eco-compatibility
Zero CO2 emissions: the by-products are CaO and
CaCl2. This can promote the formation of a circular
economy, as CaO can be sold while CaCl2 can be
recycled inside the plant.

Possibility of Industry 4.0 devlopment

The data collected at each station togheter with real-time
simulations of final product properties can be used to
regulate the flow of scraps, powders and deformation
processes in order to achieve the customer’s
requirements, thanks to the technology scalability.

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Business Case - ROI

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