Reduction of oxidic iron ores

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SPONGE IRON BY THE DIRECT REDUCTION OF PARTICULATE OXIDIC IRON ORES IN THE SEQUENCE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF STAGED FLUIDIZED REDUCTION ZONES, THE COMBINATION COMPRISIN DISPERSING, IN LIQUID, ADDITIVE COMPOUND OF PARTICLE SIZE 14 MESH AND FINER WHICH ARE SELECTED FROM OXIDES AND CARBONATES OF THE GROUPS II, IIIA, IVB, AND VIB OF THE PERIODIC CHART OF THE ELEMENTS, TO FORM A SLURRY, WETTING AND ADMIXING THE OXIDIC IRON ORE WITH THE SLURRY TO PROVIDE CONCENTRATION OF ADDITIVE RANGING FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 5%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE FEED, CHARGING THE WETTED ORE INTO THE INITIAL STAGE OF THE SEQUENCE, FLUIDIZING AND DRYING THE OXIDIC IRON ORE BY DIRECT CONTACT WITH UPWARDLY FLOWING HYDROGEN-CONTAINING COMBUSTION GASES GENERATED IN A REDUCTION ZONE WHEREIN FERRIC OXIDE IS REDUCED TO A LOWER STATE OF OXIDATION AND HYDROGEN IS BURNED WITH AN OXYGENCONTAINING HEAT FOR THE PROCESS AND TO MAINTAIN AN OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 1300*F. TO ABOUT 1600*F. IN SAID FERRIC REDUCTION ZONE, AND IN A PLURALITY OF FERROUS REDUCTION ZONES OPERATING AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 1300*F. TO ABOUT 1500*F. WHEREIN FERROUS OXIDE IS REDUCED TO METALLIC IRON.