Furnacing process

Claim 1

THE STEPS IN A PROCESS OF REDUCING IRON OXIDE CONTAINING MATERIALS IN A KILN OF THE ROTARY TYPE COMPRISING ESTABLISHING A MOVING MATERIALS BED WITHIN THE KILN, SAID BED OCCUPYING BETWEEN ABOUT 30 PERCENT AND ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF THE KILN VOLUME, BY INTRODUCING A MIXTURE OF THE IRON OXIDE CONTAILNING MATERIAL AND OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL THROUGH THE FEED END OF THE KILN THE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT IN EXCESS OF THAT CALCULATED AS THEORETICALLY NECESSARY TO METALLIZE THE TOTAL IRON VALUES IN THE IRON OXIDE CONTAINING MATERIAL AND BEING SUFFICIENT TO SHIELD THE IRON VALUES IN THE BED FROM A COMBUSTIBLE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE BED, SELECTIVELY LIBERATING HEAT VALUES AT VAROUS AREAS IN THE KILN AND REDUCING THE IRON VALUES BY EMPLOYING THE CARBON IN THE CARBONACEOUS REDUCING MATERIAL IN THE BED, IN A CONTROLLED MANNER AND AT A MAXIMUM SAFE RATE WITHOUT ANY APPRECIABLE SINTERING BY INTRODUCING HEATED COMBUSTIBLE GAS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE KILN, TRANSFERRING THE COMBUSTIBLE GAS TO A FORWARD AREA CLOSER TO THE FEED END, AT WHICH FORWARD AREA A SPECIFIC HEAT CONDICTION IS DESIRED, INTRODUCING AT A POINT WITHIN SAID AREA THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS REQUIRED TO LIBERATE THE HEAT VALUES NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH SAID HEAT CONDITION IN SAID AREA, PROGRESSIVELY TRANSFERRING THE COMBUSTIBLE GAS TO A MORE FORWARD AREA AND REPEATING THE STEP AS DESCRIBED TO LIBERATE A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF HEAT VALUES, AND FINALLY NEAR THE FEED END OF THE KILN BURNING THE REMAINING GAS TO OBTAIN ESSENTIALLY COMPLETE COMBUSTION THEREOF.