Recovery of sulfur from native ores

Claim 1

THAT METHOD OF RECOVERING SULFUR FROM A NATIVE ORE CONTAINING IT AT LEAST PREPONDERANTLY IN ELEMENTAL, FREE FORM COMPRISING FORMING A BED OF THE FINELY DIVIDED ORE AND ADDED INERT PARTICULATE INORGANIC MATERIAL IN A VERTICAL REACTOR, PASSING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID BED AN INERT HEATING GAS TO HEAT THE BED ABOVE THE DEW POINT OF SULFUR AND THEREBY TO VOLATILIZE THE FREE SULFUR FROM THE ORE, SAID GAS BEING SUPPLIED AT BED FLUIDIZING VELOCITY, CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING THE FINELY DIVIDED ORE TO SAID BED AT A RATE SUCH THAT THE SULFUR CONTENT OF THE BED DOES NOT EXCEED ABOUT 20 PERCENT, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING PRODUCT GASES CONTAINING SULFUR VAPOR FROM ABOVE THE BED, CONDENSING AND RECOVERING SULFUR FROM SAID PRODUCT GASES, WITHDRAWING GANGUE FROM THE BED SEPARATELY FROM SAID PRODUCT GASES, AND ADJUSTING THE HEAT SUPPLIED TO THE BED TO EFFECT PREDETERMINED TEMPERATUE OF OPRATION AND SULFUR RECOVERY.