OXYGEN INJECTION METHOD

摘要

A method of injecting oxygen into a melt located within a metallurgical f urnace having a heated furnace atmosphere in which oxygen and fuel is inject ed into 1 or more nozzles having passageways of converging- diverging config uration under choked flow conditions to produce supersonic jet or jets disch arged from the passageways. Fuel is injected into internal circumferential l ocations of the passageways so as to impart a structure to the jets being di scharged that have an outer circumferential region containing a mixture of f uel and oxygen and a central region containing essentially oxygen. Such a st ructured jet upon discharge interacts with the furnace atmosphere to create an outer shear-mixing zone in which the outer circumferential layer mixes wi th the heated furnace atmosphere and auto- ignites to produce a flame envelo pe surrounding a supersonic jet of oxygen. The jet of oxygen and flame envel ope can be directed against a melt contained within the metallurgical furnac e for injection of oxygen into the melt.