Reduction of metal oxides

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE REDUCTION OF IRON OXIDE TO MOLTEN METALLIC IRON WHEREIN IRON OXIDE ADMIXED WITH COKE AND A FLUXING MATERIAL IS CONTACTED IN AN ELONGATED VERTICAL REDUCTION ZONE WITH AN UPWARDLY FLOWING STREAM OF REDUCING GAS COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE WHEREBY THE IRON OXIDE IS REDUCED TO MOLTEN IRON, AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IS INTRODUCED INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REDUCTION ZONE WHEREBY COKE IS CONVERTED TO CARBON MONOXIDE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A PUMPABLE SLURRY OF A SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL IN WATER, PASSING SAID SLURRY AS A CONFINED STREAM THROUGH AN EXTERNALLY HEATED TUBULAR HEATING ZONE WHEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID WATER IS VAPORIZED FROM SAID SLURRY TO FORM A DISPERSION OF FUEL PARTICLES IN STEAM, A PORTION OF SAID STEAM IS SEPARATED FROM SAID DISPERSION TO MAINTAIN THE STEAM CONTENT OF SAID DISPERSION LESS THAN ABOUT 20 WEIGHT PERCENT BASED UPON THE WEIGHT OF SAID FUEL, GENERATING AN AUXILIARY STREAM OF REDUCING GAS COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE BY REACTION OF SAID DISPERSION CONTAINING LESS THAN ABOUT 20 WEIGHT PERCENT STEAM WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 2,000*F. TO ABOUT 3,000*F. IN A SEPARATE GAS GENERATION ZONE, AND INTRODUCING SAID AUXILIARY STREAM OF REDUCING GAS SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID REACTION TEMPERATURE DIRECTLY INTO SAID REDUCTION ZONE AT A POINT ABOVE THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS TO THE REDUCTION ZONE.