Frank Anderson Stephens
Engineers in Denver, CO

RE32247, Sep 16, 1986

Apr 2, 1985

6/719967

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Hazen Research, Inc. - Golden CO

C21C 552, C22B 110

75 11

A process for the direct production of steel from particulate iron oxides or concentrates including two major steps in which in Step (1) the iron oxides are converted to iron carbide and in Step (2) steel is produced directly from the carbide in the basic oxygen furnace or the electric furnace. In the production of the carbide the oxides are reduced and carburized in a single operation using a mixture of hydrogen as a reducing agent and carbon bearing substances such as propane primarily as carburizing agents. Iron carbide thus produced is introduced as all or part of the charge into a basic oxygen furnace to produce steel directly without the blast furnace step. In order to make the steel making process auto-thermal, heat is supplied either by using the hot iron carbide from Step (1) or preheating the iron carbide or by including sufficient fuel in the iron carbide to supply the required heat by combustion.

5073194, Dec 17, 1991

Aug 1, 1990

7/561077

Frank A. Stephens - Arvada CO
John P. Hager - Golden CO
Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Iron Carbide Holdings, Limited - Lakewood CO

C22B 514, C01B 3130

75376

A method of controlling product quality in a conversion of reactor feed to an iron carbide-containing product in a fluidized bed reactor. A Mossbauer analysis is performed on product samples leaving the fluidized bed reactor, and a regression analysis is performed on the Mossbauer data. Depending upon the results of the regression analysis, process parameters are adjusted in order to obtain a product having a desired composition. Adjustments are made to the temperature and pressure in the fluidized bed reactor, rate of feed to the fluidized bed reactor, and the composition of the process gas which reacts with the reactor feed in the fluidized bed reactor, dependent upon the analysis results.

5366897, Nov 22, 1994

Jan 27, 1993

8/009859

John P. Hager - Golden CO
Frank A. Stephens - Arvada CO
Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Iron Carbide Holdings, Ltd. - Lakewood CO

C22B 514, C01B 3130

436 55

A process for controlling the conversion of reactor feed to iron carbide is disclosed. The reactor feed is subjected to a process gas in a fluidized bed reactor (10), and the off-gas from this reaction is analyzed (56) to determine its composition and the temperature (64) and pressure (66). A stability phase diagram is generated based on the temperature. Different regions of the stability phase diagram are representative of different products being formed by the conversion of the reactor feed. Based on relative concentrations of the individual gases in the off-gas and the total pressure, a point is plotted on the stability phase diagram indicative of the favored reaction product. The process parameters can then be adjusted to insure that iron carbide can be produced from the reactor feed based on the stability phase diagram. In one embodiment, the rate of conversion of the reactor feed into iron carbide is controlled.

4039324, Aug 2, 1977

Nov 14, 1975

5/631832

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO
James C. Blair - Wheat Ridge CO

Cyprus Metallurgical Processes Corporation - Los Angeles CA

C22B 1500

75 72

Copper is recovered from copper salts, e. g. cuprous chloride, by means of a process comprising reducing the copper salts with hydrogen in a fluidized bed in the presence of chemically inert, generally spherical, relatively smooth, non-porous particles in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.

4398945, Aug 16, 1983

Jun 22, 1981

6/276040

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

C21C 552

75 11

The object of the invention is to provide a process for the recovery of iron and nickel from low iron content laterite ores. Said process comprises subjecting the ore to a carburizing step in the presence of a reducing agent and carbon supplying agent to convert the iron to iron carbide, followed by smelting the residue or product of the carburizing step to produce a ferronickel product. An alternative embodiment is the recovery of the iron and nickel from the product of the carburizing step by magnetic separation.

4396423, Aug 2, 1983

Jun 22, 1981

6/275799

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO
James C. Blair - Wheat Ridge CO

C22B 1930, C21B 1500

75 25

The object of the invention is to provide a process for the recovery of iron and zinc from steel making flue dust. The process comprises subjecting the flue dust to a carbiding step in a fluid bed in the presence of a reducing agent and a carbon supplying agent to break down the zinc ferrite structure and convert the iron to iron carbide, followed by heating the residue or product of the carbiding step to recover zinc by evaporization. The iron carbide produced may be introduced into a steel making furnace for the production of steel. An alternative procedure is the recovery of iron carbide and zinc by magnetic separation from the gangue after the carbiding step and before separation of zinc from iron carbide.

4134907, Jan 16, 1979

Jul 21, 1977

5/817576

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Hazen Research, Inc. - Golden CO

C07C 104

2604496M

A process for increasing the fuel value of a gas mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by converting part of the hydrogen and part of the carbon in the carbon monoxide of the gas mixture to methane, which comprises continuously introducing the gas mixture into a fluid bed in the presence of iron under conditions of pressure and temperature which promote the reduction of carbon monoxide to carbon, the formation of iron carbide from the iron and carbon, and the formation of methane and iron from iron carbide and hydrogen, and continuously removing from the fluid bed a methane enriched gas mixture including carbon monoxide and hydrogen having a substantially increased fuel value over the gas mixture introduced into the fluid bed.

5804156, Sep 8, 1998

Jul 19, 1996

8/684408

Gordon H. Geiger - Minneapolis MN
Arden W. Swanson - North Olmsted OH
Frank A. Stephens - Lakewood CO
Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Iron Carbide Holdings, Ltd. - Lakewood CO

C01B 3130

423439

A process for producing iron carbide in a fluid bed reactor in which the pressure is maintained in excess of the pressure at which the mole fraction of hydrogen in the process gas begins to decrease. The hydrogen concentration may also be increased above the equilibrium concentration for hydrogen at the temperature and pressure in the reactor. Further improvements are gained by preheating a iron ore reactor feed in which the iron oxide is primarily in the form of hematite under a reducing atmosphere, and using at least two fluid bed reactors in series.

5810906, Sep 22, 1998

Aug 28, 1996

8/703981

Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Iron Carbide Holdings, Ltd. - Lakewood CO

C22B 102, C01B 3130

75505

The present invention provides a two-stage method for pretreating an iron oxide-containing feed material prior to conversion of the material into an iron carbide-containing product. The feed material is heated in the first stage in an oxidizing atmosphere to volatilize and/or thermally stabilize sulfide sulfur and evaporate moisture and heated in a reducing atmosphere in the second stage to reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron. The reduced material is then introduced into a system in which the iron oxides are substantially converted to iron carbide.

4372755, Feb 8, 1983

Oct 30, 1980

6/202319

Radon Tolman - Evergreen CO
Frank M. Stephens - Lakewood CO

Enrecon, Inc. - Golden CO

C10J 354

48197R

A fuel gas containing methane is produced from a carbonaceous material in a single reaction zone by reacting the carbonaceous material in the presence of a stabilized metal carbide catalyst and water vapor and/or carbon dioxide at a temperature of from about 500. degree. C. to about 900. degree. C. The water vapor and/or carbon dioxide is maintained in an amount of from about 10 to about 30 percent by volume.