Process of producing iron from iron-oxide material

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING METALLIC IRON THE REDUCTION OF THE IRON OF IRON OXIDE-BEARING MATERIAL CONTAINING GANGUE MATERIAL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A CHARGE COMPRISING THE IRON OXIE-BEARING MATERIAL, METALLIC IRON-BEARING MATERIAL AND FLUXING MATERIAL, HEATING THE CHARGE UNDER REDUCING CONDITIONS TO A TEMPERATURE OF INCIPIENT FUSION AND EFFECTING (1) REDUCTION TO THE METALLIC STATE OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE IRON OF THE IRON OXIDE OF THE CHARGE, (2) CHEMICAL COMBINATION OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE UNREDUCED IRON OXIDE FLUXING MATERIAL AND GANGUE MATERIAL OF THE CHARGE AND (3) THE PRODUCTION OF A GRANULAR, SUBSTANTIALLY FREE-FLOWING PRODUCT COMPRISING THE METALLIC IRON THE CHEMICALLY COMBINDED IRON OXIDE, FLUXING MATERIAL AND GANGUE MATERIAL, PLACING THE GRANULAR PRODUCT OF THE HEATING REDUCING TREATMENT WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL DISSIPATION OF HEAT ABSORBED DURING THE COURSE OF THE HEATING REDUCTING TREATMENT ON THE SURFACE OF A MOLTEN SLAG BATH IN A COVERED OPENARC ELECTRIC FURNACE PROVIDED WITH ONE OR MORE VERTICALLY EXTENDING ELECTRODES, SAID GRANULAR PRODUCT BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE FURNACE AND ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN SLAG BATH AT POINTS REMOTE FROM THE ARC ZONES OF THE FURNACE ELECTRODES, MAINTAINING THE MOLTEN SLAG BATH AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH BY MEANS OF COMBINED ELECTRIC ARC AND RESISTANCE HEATING TO PROVIDE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HEAT REQUIRED FOR MELTING THE COMPONENTS OF THE GRANULAR PRODUCT WITH THE PRODUCTION OF MOLTEN METALLIC IRON AND MOLTEN SLAG, AND SEPARATING THE MOLTEN METALLIC IRON FROM THE MOLTEN SLAG, OPERATION OF THE FURNACE DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROCESS BEING CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN THE ARCING TIPS OF THE ONE OR MORE ELECTRODES IN SUFFICIENTLY FLECTION AND TO INSURE DELIVERY DIRECTLY TO THE MOLTEN SLAG BATH TO INHIBIT DISSIPATION OF ARC-DEVELOPED HEAT BY REFLECTION AND TO INSURE DELIVERY DIRECTLY TO THE MOLTEN SLAG BATH OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ARC-DEVELOPED HEAT AND THE RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF CHARGE MATERIAL INTO THE FURNACE AND ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN SLAG BATH THEREIN BEING CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN A LOW PRESSURE ZONE ADJACENT THE ARCING TIPS OF THE ONE OR MORE ELECTRODES.