Dense-bed, rotary, kiln process and apparatus for pretreatment of a metallurgical charge

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT OF A METALLURGICAL CHARGE THAT COMPRISES CHARGING SUFFICIENT ORE, FLUX AND CARBONACEOUS REDUCTANT INTO A ROTARY KILM, SO AS TO OCCUPY NO MORE THAN 15 PERCENT OF THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID KILN, AT LEAST PARTIALLY OXIDIZING SAID CHARGE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WITHIN SAID KILN TO EFFECT DEHYDRATION THEREOF AND THE REMOVAL OF VOLATILE AND OXIDIZABLE COMPONENTS THEREFROM INCLUDING SULFUR AND ARSENIC, ADDING ADDITIONAL REDUCTANT TO THE OXIDIZED CHARGE AND REDUCING SAID CHARGE WITHIN SAID KILN TO EFFECT SINTERING, AGGLOMERATION AND PARTIAL METALLIZATION THEREOF, INJECTING ADDITIONAL CARBONACEOUS REDUCTANT INTO SAID PARTIALLY REDUCED CHARGE TO ESTABLISH THE TOTAL RESIDUAL CARBON CONTENT OF THE CHARGE AS DISCHARGED FROM SAID KILN AT ABOUT THE APPROXIMATE STOICHIOMETRIC QUANTITY REQUIRED FOR EFFECTING THE DEGREE OF METALLIZATION DESIRED UPON SUBSEQUENT SMELTING OF SAID KILN DISCHARGE, SUPPLYING SAID KILN DISCHARGE WHILE HOT TO AN ELECTRIC SMELTING FURNACE, AND SMELTING THE SAME THEREIN TO EFFECT TOTAL REDUCTION TO THE METALLIC STATE OF THE DESIRED METALLIC COMPONENT THEREOF.