Beneficiation of ores

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REDUCING METALLIC OXIDES COMPRISING PASSING FINELY-DIVIDED PARTICLES OF A METALLIC OXIDE THROUGH A PREHEATING AND PREREDUCING ZONE, AT FIRST REACTION ZONE AND A SECOND REACTON ZONE, FLOWING HOT RAW REDUCING GAS HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 750*C. AND 1200*C. INTO SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE FROM BELOW TO FLUIDIZE THE PARTICLES THEREIN, REDUCED THEM AND ENTRAIN THE SMALLER PARTICLES, DISCHARGING THE PARTICALLY SPENT AND PARTIALLY COOLED REDUCING GAS FROM SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE, SEPARATING FROM SAID GAS SAID SMALLER PARTICLES ENTRAINED THEREIN, INTRODUCING SAID GAS INTO SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE FROM BELOW TO FLUIDIZE THE PARTICLES THEREIN, REDUCE THEN AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT AT WHICH STICKING OCCURS AND ENTRAIN THE SMALLER PARTICLES, DISCHARGING THE MORE COMPLETELY SPENT GAS FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID SMALLER PARTICLES FROM SAID GAS, INTRODUCING THE SEPARATED SMALLER PARTICLES INTO THE FLUIDIZED PARTICLES IN SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE, BURNING A PART OF THE GAS DISCHARGED FROM THE FIRST REACTION ZONE TO HEAT THE GAS AND INTRODUCING IT FROM BELOW INTO THE PARTICLES IN SAID PREHEATING AND PREREDUCING ZONE TO FLUIDIZE THE PARTICLES THEREIN AND PARTIALLY REDUCE THEM, DISCHARGING THE GAS FROM THE PREHEATING AND PRERDUCING ZONE, SEPARATING ANY FINELU-DIVIDED PARTICLES ENTRAINED THEREIN AND INTRODUCING THE SEPARATED PARTICALES INTO SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE.