Method of roasting metal sulfide concentrates in a fluidized bed

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF ROASTING METAL SULFIDE CONCENTRATES, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAININIG A HOT FLUIDIZED BED OD AGGLOMERATES IN WHICH ROASTING TAKES PLACE AUTOGENOUSLY AND FROM WHICH HOT ROASTING GASES RISE CONTINUOUSLY INTO THE FREEBOARD SPACE ABOVE THE BED, SPRAYING AN AQUEOUS SLURRY CONTAINING THE METAL SULFIDE CONCENTRATES AND A BINDING AGENT WITH COMPRESSED AIR INTO THE FREEBOARD SPACE TO PRODUCE A MULTIPLICITY OF SMALL DROPLETS CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF THE CONCENTRATE PARTICLES WHICH DECEND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID FREEBOARD SPACE IN COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT WITH THE RISING HOT GASES FROM THE BED, THE HOT GASES FIRST ESVAPORATING WATER FROM THE DROPLETS TO CONVERT THEM INTO A WER AGGLOMERATES IN WHICH THE CONCENTRATE PARTICLES ARE BONDED BY THE BINDING AGENT AND THEN EVAPORATING WATER FROM THE WER AGGLOMERATES TO FORM DRY AGGLOMERATES WHICH ON CONTINUED DESCENT THROUGH THE HOT GASES ENTER THE FLUIDIZED BED, VENTING THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF VAPORS AND GASES FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FREEBAOARD SPACE, AND REMOVING THE AGGLOMERATES FROM THE FLUIDIZED BED AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN ROASTED THEREIN.