Process for smelting and reducing powdered or finely divided ores

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR SMELTING AND REDUCING FINELY DIVIDED ORES WHICH CAN BE REDUCED IN THE MOLTEN STATE BY REDUCTION IN TWO STEPS, WHICH COMPRISE INTRODUCING FUELS, GASES CONTAINING FREE OXYGEN, AND SAID ORES IN MEASURED QUANTITIES INTO A FIRST REDUCTION ZONE, SMELTING THE ORES BY COMBUSTION OF A PART OF SAID FUELS TO FORM A MOLTEN ORE BATH, SAID ORES, FUELS, AND FREE OXYGEN CONTAINING GASES BEING BLOWN IN TANGENTIALLY WHEREBY THE MOLTEN ORE BATH IS KEPT IN ROTARY MOTION AND THROUGHLY MIXED, REDUCING THE METALLIC OXIDES PRESENT IN THE MOLTEN BATH WITH THE OTHER PART OF SAID FUELS TO A LOWER OXIDATION STATE, PASSING THE MIXTURE FORMED AND THE HOT GASES INTO A SECOND REDUCTION ZONE CONTAINING A SLAG BATH WHEREBY SAID GASES HEAT THE SLAG, BLOWING FUELS INTO SAID SLAG BATH AS REDUCING AGENTS TO EFFECT COMPLETE REDUCTION OF SAID METALLIC OXIDES, AND REMOVING THE MOLTEN METAL, THE SLAG AND THE GASES FROM SAID SECOND REDUCTION ZONE.