Partial reduction of iron ore

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF TREATING A LEAN OXIDIC IRON ORE CONTAINING A MONOR PROPORTION OF FE2O3 TO REDUCE AND FE2O3 OXIDE TO THE FE304 MAGNETIC FORM WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A CHAMBER DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED COMMUNICABLE SPACED ZONES, SEPARATELY CHARGING TO SEPARATE UPPERMOIST ZONES THE IRON ORE AND SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, BOTH OF SAID MATERIALS BEING IN POWDERED FORM , MAINTAINING SAID ORE AND SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN FLUIDIZED STATE IN SAID ZONES, PASSING A HEATED GASIFORM MATERIAL THROUGH SAID ZONES TO DRY AND PREHEAT THE SAID ORE AND THE SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING THE PREHEATED ORE AND CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER AND CHARGING THEM TO AN AIR STREAM WHEREIN THEY ARE SUSPENDED IN SAID AIR, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SUSPENSION WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 1500* 2500* F., THE RATION OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL TO ORE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SAID TEMPERATURE PREVAILING IN THE SUSPENSION BY FORMING A HEATING AND REDUCING ATMOSPHERE BY CAUSING THE CONVERSION IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR OF THE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL INTO OXIDES OF CARBON IN WHICH CO2 IS FORMED IN RELATIVELY LARGE QUANTITY WITH CONSEQUENT RELEASE OF A LARGE QUANTITY OF HEAT, AND CO IS FORMED IN RELATIVELY SMALL QUANTITY, WHICH QUANTITY DOES NOT EXCEED AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE REDUCTION OF FE2O3 TO BE REDUCED TO THE MAGNETIC FE3O4, CAUSING THE SAID SUSPENSION TO FLOW AS A CONFINED STREAM AT A RATE OF FROM ABOUT 10 TO 100 FEET PER SECOND, CHARGING SAID SUSPENSION INTO A LOWER ZONE IN SAID CHAMBER WHEREIN IT IS FORMED INTO A FLUIDIZED BED, WITHDRAWING SOLIDS CONTAINING FE3O4 FROM SAID LAST-NAMED FLUISIZED BED AND SEPARATIANG SAID FE3O4 FROM ASSOCIATED SOLIDS BY MAGNETIC ACTION.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF TREATING A LEAN OXIDIC IRON ORE CONTAINING A MONOR PROPORTION OF FE2O3 TO REDUCE AND FE2O3 OXIDE TO THE FE304 MAGNETIC FORM WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A CHAMBER DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED COMMUNICABLE SPACED ZONES, SEPARATELY CHARGING TO SEPARATE UPPERMOIST ZONES THE IRON ORE AND SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, BOTH OF SAID MATERIALS BEING IN POWDERED FORM , MAINTAINING SAID ORE AND SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN FLUIDIZED STATE IN SAID ZONES, PASSING A HEATED GASIFORM MATERIAL THROUGH SAID ZONES TO DRY AND PREHEAT THE SAID ORE AND THE SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING THE PREHEATED ORE AND CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER AND CHARGING THEM TO AN AIR STREAM WHEREIN THEY ARE SUSPENDED IN SAID AIR, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SUSPENSION WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 1500* 2500* F., THE RATION OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL TO ORE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SAID TEMPERATURE PREVAILING IN THE SUSPENSION BY FORMING A HEATING AND REDUCING ATMOSPHERE BY CAUSING THE CONVERSION IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR OF THE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL INTO OXIDES OF CARBON IN WHICH CO2 IS FORMED IN RELATIVELY LARGE QUANTITY WITH CONSEQUENT RELEASE OF A LARGE QUANTITY OF HEAT, AND CO IS FORMED IN RELATIVELY SMALL QUANTITY, WHICH QUANTITY DOES NOT EXCEED AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE REDUCTION OF FE2O3 TO BE REDUCED TO THE MAGNETIC FE3O4, CAUSING THE SAID SUSPENSION TO FLOW AS A CONFINED STREAM AT A RATE OF FROM ABOUT 10 TO 100 FEET PER SECOND, CHARGING SAID SUSPENSION INTO A LOWER ZONE IN SAID CHAMBER WHEREIN IT IS FORMED INTO A FLUIDIZED BED, WITHDRAWING SOLIDS CONTAINING FE3O4 FROM SAID LAST-NAMED FLUISIZED BED AND SEPARATIANG SAID FE3O4 FROM ASSOCIATED SOLIDS BY MAGNETIC ACTION.