An
improved method and apparatus for
metal melting, refining and
processing, particularly adapted to steel making in an
electric arc furnace. The method provides auxiliary
thermal energy to the steel making process, particulate injection for the formation of
slag and foamy
slag, and
oxygen injection for the
decarburization of the melt, for the formation of foamy
slag and for
post combustion burning of
carbon monoxide. The burner includes two injection barrels for providing finely pulverized particles and for providing either a supersonic or a subsonic primary flow of an oxidizing gas. The barrels are positioned side by side in a
nozzle at the entrance of a
flame shaping chamber of a fluid cooled
combustion chamber. The
nozzle also contains a plurality of fuel orifices for the providing pressurized fuel to the
combustion chamber and a plurality of oxidizing gas orifices for providing a secondary flow of an oxidizing gas around the periphery of the
nozzle. Because all of the flows of fuel, oxidizing gas and
particulates pass through the
flame shaping chamber, they are all substantially directed to the same location in the
electric arc furnace. The directionality of the flows allows the burner to heat a localized spot of the slag with
thermal energy from the oxidation of the fuel, from the oxidation of oxidizable components in the slag or the melt by the lancing of supersonic oxidizing gas, or from any combination of these. Once a spot in the slag is sufficiently heated, a flow of carbon is directed to the localized hot spot in the slag to reduce the FeO, and other oxides, in the slag to
carbon monoxide and produce foamy slag. The particulate carbon introduction can be accompanied by further oxidizing gas injection before, during or after the carbon injection.