Methods and apparatus for ore reduction and processing of other chemically reactive aggregates

Claim 1

ROTARY KILN APPARATUS, COMPRISING A TUBULAR KILN OF CYLINDRICAL CONTOUR AND OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER THROUGHOUT, MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE SAME IN AXIALLY INCLINED RELATION TO THE HORIZONTAL, FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS AXIS, THE INTERIOR WALL OF SAID KILN BEING FORMED WITH HELICALLY EXTENDING, AXIALLY SPACED, UPSTANDING RIBS, A STATIONARY HOUSING ENCLOSING EACH END OF SAID KILN, CONVEYING MEANS IN AT LEAST ONE SAID HOUSING FOR CONVEYING LOOSE AGGREGATE MATERIALS OF VARIABLE PARTICLE SIZE INTO SAID KILN, DISCHARGE MEANS IN THE OPPOSITE SAID HOUSING FOR DISCHARGING LOOSE AGGREGATE MATERIALS DELIVERED FROM SAID KILN, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING SAID KILN AT A SPEED SUCH AS TO SEGREGATE SAID AGGREGATE MATERIALS ACCORDING TO PARTICLE SIZE AND DENSITY, AND IN A DIRECTION SUCH IN RELATION TO THE SPIRALING DIRECTION OF SAID HELICAL RIBS, AS TO RETARD THE RATE OF FEED TOWARD THE LOWER END OF SAID KILN, OF THE COARSER AND DENSER PARTICLES OF SAID AGGREGATE DEPOSITED BETWEEN SAID RIBS.