Iron oxide reduction

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF REDUCING IRON OXIDE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING HIGH-PURITY HYDROGEN UPWARDLY THROUGH A BED OF FINELY DIVIDED IRON OXIDE AT A RATE TO CAUSE MOBILITY OF SAID BED, THE HORIZONTAL EXTENDED OF SAID MOBILIZED BED BEING INTERRUPTED BY CLOSELY SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL SURFACES SO THAT THE PARTICLES IN SAID MOBILIZED BED WHICH ARE FARTHEST FROM ANY VERTICAL SURFACE ARE NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 1 INCH AND NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 6 INCHES AWAY FROM ANY VERTICAL SURFACE, AND MAINTAINING SAID MOBILIZED BED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 700* TO 1000*F. AND AT A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 200 TO 600 P.S.I.G. WHILE SAID HIGH-PURITY HYDROGEN IS PASSING THROUGHOUT, SAID HIGHPURITY HYDROGEN CONTAINIING SMALL AMOUNTS OF CARBON OXIDES, METHANE, NITROGEN AND WATER VAPOR AND INITIALLY HAVING A COMPOSITE AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT 7.5 AND A MIXIMUM WATER VAPOR CONTENT RELATED TO THE REACTION TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT SAID WATER VAPOR CONTENT DOES NOT EXCEED ABOUT 0.5% BY VOLUME OF THE HYDROGEN CONTENT OF SAID HIGH-PURITY HYDROGEN AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE OF 700*F. AND DOES NOT EXCEED ABOUT 3% BY VOLUME OF THE HYDROGEN CONTENT OF SAID HIGH-PURITY HYDROGEN AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE OF 1000*F.