Patent ID: 8425650

Claim:
A method for manufacturing molten metal in a stationary non-tilting electric furnace, the furnace comprising: at least one raw material charging chute; at least one electrical heater; and at least one secondary combustion burner; wherein: the furnace has a first end and a second end opposite from the first end in a width dimension; the furnace has a top end and a bottom end in a height dimension; the raw material charging chute is positioned to dispense raw material into the furnace in proximity to the first end and the top end; the electrical heater is positioned to heat contents of the furnace in proximity to the second end and the bottom end; and the secondary combustion burner is positioned to combust contents of the furnace by blowing an oxygen-containing gas into a space in the furnace between a sloped surface of an agglomerate layer and the top end; comprising: forming a raw material layer by charging a raw material into the furnace from the raw material charging chute, the raw material layer having a surface that slopes from the first end and the top end to the second end and the bottom end; forming the agglomerate layer by charging an agglomerate material into the furnace from the raw material charging chute on to the raw material layer; and forming a molten metal layer and a molten slag layer in the furnace by concurrently: heating the agglomerate layer with the electric heater in proximity to the second end and the bottom end, causing the agglomerate layer to melt and descend the sloped surface of the raw material layer; and blowing the oxygen-containing gas into the space in the furnace between the sloped surface of the agglomerate layer and the top end with the secondary combustion burner to burn CO-containing gas generated by the agglomerate layer and further heat the agglomerate layer with radiant heat; wherein: the raw material comprises at least one of a carbonaceous material and metal oxide agglomerates with carbonaceous material comprising a nonvolatile metal element that forms molten metal; and the agglomerate material comprises metal oxide agglomerates with carbonaceous material comprising a nonvolatile metal element that forms molten metal.