Process for concurrent upgrading of iron ore and heavy crude oils

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PARTIALLY REDUCING AN IRON OXIDE AND CONCURRENTLY CONVERTING A HEAVY LIQUID HYDROCARBON TO A DISTILLATE HYDROCARBON, SAID HEAVY HYDROCARBON COMPRISING LESS THAN TEN PERCENT BOILING BELOW 400*F., A GRAVITY NOT HIGHER THAN 20 API, AND YIELDING BY VACUUM DISTILLATION AT LEAST 30 PERCENT OF 100 PENETRATION ASPHALT, WHICH COMPRISES: INTIMATELY MIXING SAID IRON OXIDE IN FINELY COMMINUTED FORM WITH SAID HEAVY LIQUID HYDROCARBON IN A WEIGHT RATIO FROM 1:5 TO 1:0.2; CHARGING THE RESULTING MIXTURE INTO A RETORTING ZONE; HEATING THE SAID ROTATING ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE RANGING BETWEEN 750 AND 2800*F. SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE CHEMICAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE COMPONENTS OF SAID MIXTURE; MAINTAINING SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE FOR A PERIOD RANGING BETWEEN 0.02 AND 10 HOURS BY THE END OF WHICH PERIOD SAID MIXTURE SUBSTANTIALLY CEASES GIVING OFF VAPOROUS PRODUCTS; CONDUCTING THE VAPOROUS PRODUCTS TO A COLLECTION ZONE; WITHDRAWING THE RESIDUAL SOLID FROM SAID RETORTING ZONE AS AN IRON REDUCTION PRODUCT COMPRISING A MAJOR PART OF IRON OXIDES OF LOWER OXIDATION STATE THAN SAID COMMUNICATED IRON OXIDE AND A MINOR PART OF FINELY DIVIDED AMORPHOUS CARBON; AND COOLING SAID VAPOROUS PRODUCTS AND CONDENSING A LIQUEFIED DISTILLATE HYDROCARBON COMPRISING HYDROCARBONS OF GREATER THAN 4 CARBON ATOMS HAVING A DISTILLATION RANGING BETWEEN 170 AND 800*F.