Ore roasting

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF ROASTING METAL SULFIDE FINES TO PRODUCE SULFUR DIOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A STREAM OF OXIDIZING GAS SUSPENDED SULFIDE FINES AT THE ENTER OF THE BASE PORTION OF A VERTICALLY ELONGATED COMBUSTION CHAMBER HEATED TO TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE IGNITION POINT OF THE FINES AND HAVING A HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONSUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE HEIGHT, PASSING THE FINES UPWARDLY AND THEN DOWNWARDLY OVER A DISTANCE APPROACHING THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, ADJUSTING THE VELOCITY OF INTRODUCTION OF THE FINES SO AS TO CAUSE THE FINES TO MOVE THRU AN EXTENDED PATH AND TO PREVENT CONTACT OF ANY SUSBTANTIAL QUANTITIVES OF FINES WITH THE HEATED WALLS AND TOP OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, INTRODUCING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, IN A STREAM SURROUNDING SAID FINES AT THEIR POINT OF INTRODUCTION, A QUANTITY OF OXIDIZING GAS CONSTITUTING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE TOTAL OXIDIZING GAS NEEDED TO SUPPORT OXIDATION OF SAID FINES, FLOWING SUCH OXIDIZING GAS, AT VELOCITY LESS THAN THE INITIAL VELOCITY OF THE FINES AND LOW ENOUGH TO SUBSTANTIALLY AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH GRAVITY FALL OF THE FINES, IN UPWARD DIRECTION ONLY THRU THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW TO THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING FINES SO THAT THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING FINES PASS THRU A ROASTING ATMOSPHERE INCREASINGLY RICH IN OXYGEN, SAID FINES BEING ROASTED UNDER CONDITIONS IN WHICH POTENTIALLY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ARE CREATED IN THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, WITHDRAWING SULFUR DOIXIDE GAS FROM THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, COOLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID WITHDRAWN SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS, AND RETURNING COOLED SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS TO THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN QUANTITY TO MAINTAIN THE SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS AS WITHDRAWN FROM THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AT TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 1750-1950* F.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF ROASTING METAL SULFIDE FINES TO PRODUCE SULFUR DIOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A STREAM OF OXIDIZING GAS SUSPENDED SULFIDE FINES AT THE ENTER OF THE BASE PORTION OF A VERTICALLY ELONGATED COMBUSTION CHAMBER HEATED TO TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE IGNITION POINT OF THE FINES AND HAVING A HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONSUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE HEIGHT, PASSING THE FINES UPWARDLY AND THEN DOWNWARDLY OVER A DISTANCE APPROACHING THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, ADJUSTING THE VELOCITY OF INTRODUCTION OF THE FINES SO AS TO CAUSE THE FINES TO MOVE THRU AN EXTENDED PATH AND TO PREVENT CONTACT OF ANY SUSBTANTIAL QUANTITIVES OF FINES WITH THE HEATED WALLS AND TOP OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, INTRODUCING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, IN A STREAM SURROUNDING SAID FINES AT THEIR POINT OF INTRODUCTION, A QUANTITY OF OXIDIZING GAS CONSTITUTING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE TOTAL OXIDIZING GAS NEEDED TO SUPPORT OXIDATION OF SAID FINES, FLOWING SUCH OXIDIZING GAS, AT VELOCITY LESS THAN THE INITIAL VELOCITY OF THE FINES AND LOW ENOUGH TO SUBSTANTIALLY AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH GRAVITY FALL OF THE FINES, IN UPWARD DIRECTION ONLY THRU THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW TO THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING FINES SO THAT THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING FINES PASS THRU A ROASTING ATMOSPHERE INCREASINGLY RICH IN OXYGEN, SAID FINES BEING ROASTED UNDER CONDITIONS IN WHICH POTENTIALLY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ARE CREATED IN THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, WITHDRAWING SULFUR DOIXIDE GAS FROM THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, COOLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID WITHDRAWN SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS, AND RETURNING COOLED SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS TO THE UPPER END OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN QUANTITY TO MAINTAIN THE SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS AS WITHDRAWN FROM THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AT TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 1750-1950* F.