Method for heating solids

Claim 1

PROCESS OF PRODUCING STRONG ORE COMPACTS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING GREEN COMPACTS FROM FINELY DIVIDED ORE AND FINELY DIVIDED SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL, THE SOLID FUEL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE COMPACTS EMPLOYED IN A CONCENTRATION TO PROVIDE FROM ABOUT 3/4% TO NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN ABOUT 3% BY WEIGHT OF CARBON, DRYING SAID GREEN COMPACTS BY MEANS OF GASEOUS PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING THE PREHEATED GREEN COMPACTS INTO AN INCANDESCENT COMBUSTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT OF FUSION OF THE COMPACTS, INTRODUCING INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE A PREHEATED OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, FLAMELESSLY BURNING THE CARBONACEOUS FUEL IN THE INCANDESCENT ZONE TO HEAT THE COMPACTS TO INCANDESCENCE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL FUSION AND ADVANCING THE INCANDESCENT COMPACTS TO A COOLING STAGE AND REMOVING HEAT FROM THE COMPACTS IN THE COOLING STAGE BY MEANS OF A COUNTERCURRENT FLOW THERETHROUGH OF SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS.