Process for roasting sulfide ore concentrates

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF ROASTING FINELY DIVIDED IRON SULFIDE ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PYRITE AND PYRRHOTITE WITH THE RESULTING PRODUCTION OF IRON OXIDE AGGLOMERATES HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN THE SIZE OF THE CHARGED SULFIDE PARTICLES WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING ROASTING AIR INTO AT LEAST TWO VERTICALLY SPACED POINTS IN A VERTICALLY DISPOSED COLUMN OF A PREVIOUSLY ROATED SULFIDE OF A GROUP IN THE FORM OF RRELATIVELY COARSE DISCRETE PARTICLES HAVING RANGING BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 35 MESH SO AS TO EFFECT FLUIDIZATION OF SAID COLUMN OF COARSE PARTICLES, INTRODUCING A CHARGE OF THE FINELY DIVIDED SULFIDE INTO THE RESULTING MULTI-BED FLUIDIZED COLUMN AND APPRECIABLY BELOW THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE UPPERMOST FLUID BED THEREOF, ADJUSTING THE RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF THE SULFIDE CHARGE INTO THE COLUMN SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURRE OF THE COLUMN BY VIRTUE OF THE HEAT OF COMBUSTION OF THE SULFIDE IN THE CHARGE AT THE INCIPIENT FUSION TEMPERATURE OF THE SULFIDE CLOSE TO BUT BELOW THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF THE SULFIDE WITH RESULTING ADHESION OF THE FINE CHARGE TO THE AFORESAID DISCRETE PARTICLES, WITHDRAWING ROASTER GAS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE COLUMN, AND WITHDRAWING THE ROASTED SULFIDE FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COLUMN IN THE FORM OD DISCRETE PATICLES HAVING A SIZE RANGING BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 35 MESH.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF ROASTING FINELY DIVIDED IRON SULFIDE ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PYRITE AND PYRRHOTITE WITH THE RESULTING PRODUCTION OF IRON OXIDE AGGLOMERATES HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN THE SIZE OF THE CHARGED SULFIDE PARTICLES WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING ROASTING AIR INTO AT LEAST TWO VERTICALLY SPACED POINTS IN A VERTICALLY DISPOSED COLUMN OF A PREVIOUSLY ROATED SULFIDE OF A GROUP IN THE FORM OF RRELATIVELY COARSE DISCRETE PARTICLES HAVING RANGING BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 35 MESH SO AS TO EFFECT FLUIDIZATION OF SAID COLUMN OF COARSE PARTICLES, INTRODUCING A CHARGE OF THE FINELY DIVIDED SULFIDE INTO THE RESULTING MULTI-BED FLUIDIZED COLUMN AND APPRECIABLY BELOW THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE UPPERMOST FLUID BED THEREOF, ADJUSTING THE RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF THE SULFIDE CHARGE INTO THE COLUMN SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURRE OF THE COLUMN BY VIRTUE OF THE HEAT OF COMBUSTION OF THE SULFIDE IN THE CHARGE AT THE INCIPIENT FUSION TEMPERATURE OF THE SULFIDE CLOSE TO BUT BELOW THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF THE SULFIDE WITH RESULTING ADHESION OF THE FINE CHARGE TO THE AFORESAID DISCRETE PARTICLES, WITHDRAWING ROASTER GAS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE COLUMN, AND WITHDRAWING THE ROASTED SULFIDE FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COLUMN IN THE FORM OD DISCRETE PATICLES HAVING A SIZE RANGING BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 35 MESH.