Method for continuous hearth refining of steel and beneficiation of ores of ferro alloys

Claim 1

A PYROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS FOR DECONTAMINATING AND COINCIDENTALLY ENRICHING LOW-GRADE MANGANESE ORE BY PREFERENTIAL MOLAR EXCHANGE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING MOLTEN PHOSPHOROUS AND IRON CONTAINING MANGANESE ORE AND MOLTEN REAGENT METAL CONTAINING IRON, MANGANESE AND AMOUNT OF SILICON SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT NECESSARY TO EXCHANGE WITH ALL OF THE PHOSPHOROUS IN THE ORE, INTO OPPOSITE ENDS OF A CONTINUOUS HEARTH METALLURIGAL FURNACE TO PRODUCE COUNTERFLOW THEREOF ACROSS A WIDE INTERFACE AREA, MAINTAINING THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE FOR MAXIMUM REACTION BETWEEN 2750*F. AND 3050*F. WHEREBY THE SMALL AMOUNT OF SILICON IN THE REAGANT METAL WILL FIRST REACT WITH THE OUTFLOWING SUPERFLUENT MOLTEN ORE TO EXCHANGE WITH THE PHOSPHOROUS THEREIN, REDUCING THE PHOSPHOROUS CONTENT OF THE ORE TO NO GREATER THAN 0.1%, CONTINUING THE COUNTERFLOW AT A RATE THAT EXCEEDS THE DIFFUSION AND MIXING OF THE COUNTERFLOWING LAYERS OF ORE AND REAGENT METAL AND AT SUCH A RATE THAT CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM IS NOT REACHED, REACTING THE MANGANESE IN THE INCOMING REAGANT METAL WITH THE IRON IN THE ORE TO THEREBY ENRICH THE WITH MANGANESE AND DECONTAMINATE THE ORE OF PHOSPHOROUS, AND REMOVING THE SPENT REAGENT METAL AND ENRICHED PHOSPHOROUS FREE ORE FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FURNACE.