Vessel for enabling a uniform gravity driven flow of particulate bulk material therethrough, and direct reduction reactor incorporating same

So as to provide a container that is inexpensive to manufacture and that promotes a uniform flow of particulate bulk materials therethrough, a vessel (10) is suggested comprising at least two wall segments (12, 14) having a generally downwardly converging wall defining a vertical axis for said vessel, a first upper segment (12) being vertically arranged above a second lower segment (14), each one of said wall segments having an upper edge and a lower edge, the perimeter of the upper edge of said second lower wall segment (14) being larger than the perimeter of the lower edge of said first upper wall segment (12); said lower edge of said first upper wall segment (12) and said upper edge of said second lower wall segment (14) being positioned proximate to each other and cooperating to provide an enlargement (34) of the cross-sectional area of the volume occupied by said particulate solid material; and the lower edge of said first upper segment (12) defining a plane forming an angle with respect to the vertical axis of the vessel.