Process for the production of hard burned agglomerates

Claim 1

FOR MAKING HARD, UNSINTERED, DENSE, DISCRETE HEMATITE PELLETS FROM FINELY DIVIDED IRON ORE, THE PROCESS COMPRISING: MAKING INDIVIDUAL GREEN PELLETS OF A PRESELECTED SIZE OUT OF SAID FINELY DIVIDED ORE, FORMING SAID INDIVIDUAL GREEN PELLETS INTO A MOVABLE GAS PERMEABLE BODY WITH SAID PELLETS AT REST RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER WITHIN SAID BODY, ESTABLISHING AT LEAST FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GAS CONFINING ZONES, CONVEYING SAID BODY OF PELLETS THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND ZONES AT A FIRST PRESELECTED RATE, DISCHARGING SAID BODY FROM SAID THIRD ZONE WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY DISRUPTING SAID BODY AND IMPARTING MOVEMENT TO SAID PELLETS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, TUMBLING SAID PELLETS THROUGH SAID THIRD ZONE AT A SECOND PRESELECTED RATE TO MAINTAIN THE MOVEMENT OF SAID PELLETS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, EFFECTING A FLOW OF HIGHLY HEATED GASES CONTAINING A SURPLUS OF OXIDANT SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID THIRD ZONE COUNTERCURRENTLY TO SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID TUMBLING PELLETS THEREIN, THROUGH SAID BODY IN SAID SECOND ZONE, AND THROUGH SAID BODY IN SAID FIRST ZONE, AND CORRELATING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID HEATED GASES SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID PRESELECTED PELLET SIZE AND SAID FIRST PRESELECTED RATE TO TRANSFORM SAID INDIVIDUAL GREEN PELLETS INTO DRY, PREHEATED DISCRETE PELLETS CONTAINING HEMATITE (AS EVIDENCED BY THE GROWTH OF INDIVIDUAL GRAINS OF HEMATITE INTO BRIDGING RELATIONSHIP WITH ADJACENT GRAINS AND A PELLET STRENGTH CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING SAID TUMBLING) FOR DISCHARGE FROM SAID SECOND ZONE TO SAID THIRD ZONE, AND WITH SAID PRESELECTED PELLET SIZE AND SAID SECOND PRESELECTED RATE TO TRANSFORM SAID DRY, PREHEATED DISCRETE PELLETS CONTAINING HEMATITE INTO HARD, UNSINTERED DISCRETE PELLETS, EACH HAVING A CONTINUOUS NETWORK OF BRIDGED HEMATITE THERETHROUGH.