An apparatus for supplying gas to a determinate number of injector devices of a melting furnace for the production of metal, including a main feed line, a first secondary feed line and a second secondary feed line which are respectively configured to supply, selectively and in a controlled manner, a process gas, an inert gas and a purge gas to each of the injector devices.

An apparatus for supplying gas to a determinate number of injector devices of a melting furnace for the production of metal, including a main feed line, a first secondary feed line and a second secondary feed line which are respectively configured to supply, selectively and in a controlled manner, a process gas, an inert gas and a purge gas to each of the injector devices.

Furnace operation includes consecutive cycles of a heating step, a stopping step and a restarting step. The fuel and/or the oxidizing agent is preheated upstream of the furnace by indirect exchange with the discharged fumes through a medium passing through a chamber. A first wall separates the fumes from the medium in the chamber. The fuel and/or oxidizing agent is separated from the medium in the chamber by a second wall. During restarting, the medium's flow rate Dm is regulated to limit the heating rate of the first wall until it reaches the operational temperature at an end thereof.

The invention relates to an immersion device and a method for detecting a position of an optical cored wire using an immersion device. An immersion device for measuring a temperature of a metal melt inside an electric arc furnace vessel with an optical cored wire comprises a blowing lance for blowing purge gas into an entry point to the vessel and a detecting means for detecting a position of the optical cored wire. The optical cored wire can be moved in a feeding channel and/or in the blowing lance relative to the entry point. The detecting means is configured to detect the presence of the optical cored wire in or close to the blowing lance. This enables short distances between the leading end of the fiber and the melt and, thus, short time intervals between temperature measurement sequences.

The invention relates to an immersion device and a method for detecting a position of an optical cored wire using an immersion device. An immersion device for measuring a temperature of a metal melt inside an electric arc furnace vessel with an optical cored wire comprises a blowing lance for blowing purge gas into an entry point to the vessel and a detecting means for detecting a position of the optical cored wire. The optical cored wire can be moved in a feeding channel and/or in the blowing lance relative to the entry point. The detecting means is configured to detect the presence of the optical cored wire in or close to the blowing lance. This enables short distances between the leading end of the fiber and the melt and, thus, short time intervals between temperature measurement sequences.

A burner lance insert (1) for an electric arc furnace (2), includes a support body (3) that can be inserted into a wall opening (17) of the electric arc furnace (2). The insert has a front opening (5), a burner lance unit (7) which is mounted in the support body (3) in a rotatable manner about a rotational axis (A). A discharge channel (28) runs to a burner lance unit (7) discharge opening (29) lying in the front opening (5). A drive unit (9) rotates the burner lance unit (7) between two end positions in which the discharge opening (29) assumes different positions in the front opening (5) and the discharge channel (28) defines different discharge directions. The rotational axis (A) forms an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, particularly preferably 40 degrees to 0 degrees, together with the direction of the gravitational force of the Earth after the support body (3) is inserted into the wall opening (17). The burner lance unit (7) is suitable for carrying out a burner operation as well as a lancing operation.

A burner lance insert (1) for an electric arc furnace (2), includes a support body (3) that can be inserted into a wall opening (17) of the electric arc furnace (2). The insert has a front opening (5), a burner lance unit (7) which is mounted in the support body (3) in a rotatable manner about a rotational axis (A). A discharge channel (28) runs to a burner lance unit (7) discharge opening (29) lying in the front opening (5). A drive unit (9) rotates the burner lance unit (7) between two end positions in which the discharge opening (29) assumes different positions in the front opening (5) and the discharge channel (28) defines different discharge directions. The rotational axis (A) forms an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, particularly preferably 40 degrees to 0 degrees, together with the direction of the gravitational force of the Earth after the support body (3) is inserted into the wall opening (17). The burner lance unit (7) is suitable for carrying out a burner operation as well as a lancing operation.

A tap hole cleaning apparatus (20) for an electric arc furnace and a corresponding electric arc furnace (1) enable the cleaning of a tap hole (12) of an electric arc furnace (1) comprising a furnace vessel (2) having an eccentric or offset bottom tap hole (12). A lance head (24) is movable in a first step from a lower end position to an upper end position into and through the tap hole (12), and in a second step, the lance head (24) is movable back through the tap hole (12) from the upper end position to the lower end position while ejecting oxygen through one or more lateral oxygen ejection nozzles to clean the inner periphery of the tap hole (12).

A method of operating a top submerged lance furnace, and more particularly but not exclusively to a method of coating an end of a lance of a top submerged lance furnace with a slag layer, as well as a method of maintaining a uniform heat distribution about the periphery of the lance of the top submerged lance furnace. In terms of the method, the lance is caused to rotate, and a fluid is passed through the lance before it is inserted into the molten material bath inside the crucible.

A method of operating a top submerged lance furnace, and more particularly but not exclusively to a method of coating an end of a lance of a top submerged lance furnace with a slag layer, as well as a method of maintaining a uniform heat distribution about the periphery of the lance of the top submerged lance furnace. In terms of the method, the lance is caused to rotate, and a fluid is passed through the lance before it is inserted into the molten material bath inside the crucible.