Process and apparatus for the reduction of iron ore

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REDUCTION OF IRON ORE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PREHEATING IRON ORE HAVING GRADED PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION, PASSING THE PREHEATED ORE THROUGH A REDUCTION ZONE IN A VERTICAL DOWNWARDLY TAPERED PATH IN CONTACT WITH GRAPHITE AND REDUCING GAS AND REDUCING THE ORE TO LIQUID PARTICULATE IRON AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 2400 TO ABOUT 3000*F., WHILE SAID ORE IS MAINTAINED IN OSCILLATING TURBULENT SUSPENSION IN UPWARDLY FLOWING REDUCING GAS, THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHARGED OR PARTICLES OF VARYING SIZES UNDERGOING REDUCTION BEING SUCH THAT THE PARTICLES OF GREATER SIZE AND DENSITY ARE SUSPENDED IN THE BOTTOM AREA OF THE REDUCTION ZONE AND BELOW THE PARTICLES OF LESSER SIZE AND DENSITY DUE TO A GRANDUAL REDUCTION IN GAS VELOCITY TOWARD THE TOP OF THE REDUCTION ZONE, SAID LIQUID PARTICULATE IRON PASSING DOWNWARDLY TO A COLLECTION ZONE BELOW THE REDUCTION ZONE BY VIRTUE OF THE INCREASE IN RELATIVE DENSITY EFFECTED BY REDUCTION AND BY AGGLOMERATION OF THE LIQUID IRON.