Method of producing ferromanganese

Claim 1

A METHOD OF EXOTHERMICALLY PRODUCING FERROMANGANESE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A MIXTURE OF MANGANESE ORE INCLUDING AS INGREDIENTS THEREOF MNO2 AND MNO, THE RATIO BETWEEN MNO2 AND MNO IN SAID MANGANESE ORE BEING GREATER THAN 1.1, A REDUCING ALLOY INCLUDING SILICON AND ALUMINUM IN A COMBINED AMOUNT OF BETWEEN 65% AND 90% OF SAID REDUCING ALLOY, THE AMOUNT OF ALUMINUM IN SAID REDUCING ALLOY CONSTITUTING BETWEEN ONE-HALF AND ONE-FIFTH OF THE SILICON PRESETN IN SAID REDUCING ALLOY, SAID MANGANESE ORE AND SAID REDUCING ALLOY BEING PRESENT IN SUCH PROPORTIONS THAT THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF THE ORE IS EQUAL TO BETWEEN 90% AND 110% OF THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN REQUIRED FOR OXIDATION OF SAID REDUCING ALLOY AND AN AMOUNT OF SULFUR EQUAL TO BETWEEN 0.8% AND 4% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID MANGANESE ORE; INTRODUCING THE THUS-FORMED MIXTURE AND AN AMOUNT OF BURNT LIME EQUAL TO BETWEEN 40% AND 60% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID MIXTURE INTO A DOLOMITE-LINED CONVERTER; IGNITING SAID MIXTURE SO AS TO CAUSE REACTION OF THE SAME FORMING A LIQUID BATH OF SILICON-CONTAINING FERROMAGNESE AND SLAG; BLOWING THROUGH SAID LIQUID BATH A GAS INCAPABLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY OXIDIZING THE SAME SO AS TO INNTIMATELY MIX SAID FERROMANGANESE AND SAID SLAG; ALLOWING THE SLAG TO SEPARTE FROM SAID LIQUID BATH; AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING SAID SLAG AND SAID LIQUID BATH FROM SAID CONVERTER.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF EXOTHERMICALLY PRODUCING FERROMANGANESE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A MIXTURE OF MANGANESE ORE INCLUDING AS INGREDIENTS THEREOF MNO2 AND MNO, THE RATIO BETWEEN MNO2 AND MNO IN SAID MANGANESE ORE BEING GREATER THAN 1.1, A REDUCING ALLOY INCLUDING SILICON AND ALUMINUM IN A COMBINED AMOUNT OF BETWEEN 65% AND 90% OF SAID REDUCING ALLOY, THE AMOUNT OF ALUMINUM IN SAID REDUCING ALLOY CONSTITUTING BETWEEN ONE-HALF AND ONE-FIFTH OF THE SILICON PRESETN IN SAID REDUCING ALLOY, SAID MANGANESE ORE AND SAID REDUCING ALLOY BEING PRESENT IN SUCH PROPORTIONS THAT THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF THE ORE IS EQUAL TO BETWEEN 90% AND 110% OF THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN REQUIRED FOR OXIDATION OF SAID REDUCING ALLOY AND AN AMOUNT OF SULFUR EQUAL TO BETWEEN 0.8% AND 4% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID MANGANESE ORE; INTRODUCING THE THUS-FORMED MIXTURE AND AN AMOUNT OF BURNT LIME EQUAL TO BETWEEN 40% AND 60% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID MIXTURE INTO A DOLOMITE-LINED CONVERTER; IGNITING SAID MIXTURE SO AS TO CAUSE REACTION OF THE SAME FORMING A LIQUID BATH OF SILICON-CONTAINING FERROMAGNESE AND SLAG; BLOWING THROUGH SAID LIQUID BATH A GAS INCAPABLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY OXIDIZING THE SAME SO AS TO INNTIMATELY MIX SAID FERROMANGANESE AND SAID SLAG; ALLOWING THE SLAG TO SEPARTE FROM SAID LIQUID BATH; AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING SAID SLAG AND SAID LIQUID BATH FROM SAID CONVERTER.