Heating finely divided solid reactants

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF HEATING FINELY-DIVIDED SOLIDS AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE ABOUT 1500*C. IN WHICH HEAT IS GENERATED BY PASSAGE OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH A MASS OF SUCH SOLIDS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING, IN AN ELECTRIC RESISTANCE FURNACE, A CHARGE TO BE HEATED, EMBEDDING CENTRALLY WITHIN SAID CHARGE, TRANSVERSELY OF THE FLOW OF CURRENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, A PLURALITY OF CARBON CONDUCTOR BARS SUPPORTED ON SAID CHARGE AND ARRANGED IN A ROW EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TERMINAL ELECTRODES OF SAID FURNACE AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FURNACE IN A POSITION IN WHICH THE CHARGE SURROUNDS SAID ROW OF BARS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY, SAID BARS BEING SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM SAID TERMINAL ELECTRODES, FILLING THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID BARS AND BETWEEN SAID BARS AND SAID TERMINAL ELECTRODES WITH GRANULAR RESISTOR MATERIAL, AND PASSING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH SAID ELECTRODES WHEREBY TO HEAT SAID RESISTOR MATERIAL AND SAID CONDUCTOR BARS AND THEREBY TO FORM A FLOATING HEATING ELEMENT WITHIN SAID CHARGE.