Patent ID: 7550108

Claim:
Metallurgical vessel for iron and steel making comprising a bottom portion, a sidewall, a roof having an inner perimeter defining a center opening, and a lance arrangement of at least three lances for supplying oxygen containing gas to the interior of the vessel in operation, each lance extends through the roof; and has a discharge end in the interior of the vessel directed for discharging the oxygen containing gas downwardly into the interior of the vessel and downwardly entraining post combusted gases; each lance has a corresponding feed chute for adding therethrough particulate material to the vessel in the substantially downwardly directed flow of post-combusted gases, each feed chute having a feed chute discharge end for the adding of particulate material to the vessel, each feed chute projects through the roof of the metallurgical vessel; each feed chute is positioned for passing the solids downwardly through the roof between a respective said lance and the sidewall of the metallurgical vessel in a radial direction, wherein each lance comprises a discharge end for emitting oxygen containing gas, wherein the lance arrangement comprises said at least three lances, the lances projecting into the upper portion of the vessel, wherein at least one of the lances is provided with means for emitting a plurality of jets of oxygen containing gas from its end, wherein at least one lance is arranged for directing the oxygen containing gas towards a central axis of the metallurgical vessel, wherein each chute discharge end is at an elevation above an elevation of the corresponding lance discharge end; the lance discharge end not extending into a region of the vessel interior below the center opening, wherein the lance discharge end is positioned and directed for achieving in operation a substantially downwardly directed flow of post-combusted gases at the side wall of the vessel and a substantially upwardly directed flow of post-combusted gases in the center of the vessel.