Process of preparing iron powder capable of being rolled directly to sheet form

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PREPARING POWDERED METALLIC IRON CAPABLE OF BEING ROLLED DIRECTLY TO SHEET FROM AND HAVING A HYDROGEN LOSS OF NOT OVER ABOUT 11/2% AND A CONTENT OF ACID-INSOLUBLES OF NOT OVER ABOUT 1%, AND IN WHICH THE ACID-INSOLUBLES EXIT IN A PARTICLE SIZE OF NOT OVER ABOUT 200 MESH, SAID PROCESS STARTING WITH AN IRON OXIDE MATERIAL HAVING NOT OVER ABOUT 1% ACID-INSOLUBLES, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF COMMINUTING ALL SAID STARTING MATERIAL TO A PARTICLE SIZE OF NOT OVER ABOUT 200 MESH, REDUCING SAID STARTING MATERIAL IN AT LEAST TWO REDUCING STAGES BY CONTACTING IT IN EACH STAGE AND AS HEREINAFTER STATED WITH A GASEOUS REDUCING AGENT THE ACTIVE REDUCING CONSTITUENT OF WHICH CONSIST ESSENTIALLY OF HYDROGEN AND WHICH CONTAINS NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 2.7 PARTS BY VOLUME OF WATER VAPOR FOR EACH 100 PARTS BY VOLUME OF HYDROGEN, MAINTAINING THE SOLID MATERIAL IN EACH OF SAID STAGES IN A FLUIDIZED CONDITION BY MOVING SAID GASEOUS REDUCING AGENT UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH, MAINTAINING THE VELOCITY OF GAS TRAVEL THROUGH THE FLUIDIZED BED OF EACH OF SAID STAGES FROM ABOUT 1/2 TO ABOUT 11/2 FEET PER SECOND, MAINTAINING THE GASEOUS PRESSURE IN THE LAST OF SAID STAGES AT NOT OVER ABOUT 71/2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE AND IN THE FIRST AND ALL STAGES AT NOT OVER ABOUT 21/2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN THE FIRST AND ALL BUT THE LAST STAGE (FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE SOLID MATERIAL) IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 900*F. TO ABOUT 1200* F. AND IN THE LAST STAGE, FROM ABOUT 1000*F. TO ABOUT 1100*F., AND RETAINING THE SOLID MATERIALS IN THE LAST OF SAID STAGES UNTIL THESE MATERIALS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY REDUCED, SO THAT THE HYDROGEN LOSS THEREOF IS NOT OVER ABOUT 11/2%.