Magnetic roasting process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR ROASTING ORES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF CRUSHING THE ORE, MOISTENING AND ROLLING THE DAMP CRUSHED MATERIAL TO AGGLOMERATE THE FINES, DISTRIBUTING THE RESULTING ORE COMPACTS IN A RELATIVELY THIN LAYER OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF A HORIZONTALLY MOVING GRATE ADAPTED TO MOVE THE BED IN SEQUENCE THROUGH A DRYING ZONE, A REACTION ZONE AND COOLING ZONE, PASSING WARM NON-OXIDIZING GASES THROUGH THE BED OF ORE IN THE DRYING ZONE TO DRY AND PREHEAT THE ORE COMPACTS, PASSING HOT REDUCING GASES THROUGH THE BED OF ORE IN THE REACTION ZONE TO DECREASE THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF THE ORE, COOLING AND PARTIALLY DEHYDRATING THE SPENT NON-OXIDIZING AND REDUCING GASES FROM THE DRYING AND REACTION ZONES, RECIRCULATING A PORTION OF SAID COOLED AND DEHYDRATED SPENT GASES TO SAID COOLING ZONE FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE REDUCED ORE TO COOL THE SAME, DISCHARGING SAID COOLED REDUCED COMPACTS FROM SAID GRATE AND RECIRCULATING THE SPENT GASES FROM SAID COOLING ZONE TO THE DRYING ZONE.