silicon for the chemical and solar industry XIII

continue burning, even after the lance is pulled back from the burning mass. No

matter the amount of oxygen, the lance will remain ignited thanks to its internal

oxygen ducts that always keep enough Fe at ignition temperature and in contact with

oxygen. This gives the operator an easy, safe and standard procedure to ignite the

lance and to keep it ignited (see Figure 3).

Figure 3

. Advanced oxygen lance self-sustained ignition

Since the standard oxygen pipe cannot keep being ignited by itself, it will only

generate energy when the oxygen conducted through the pipe is bouncing against a

surface. The bouncing oxygen ignites the external wall of the pipe, generating energy

fluxes back around the pipe tip (usually the target material is in front), making it very

inefficient (see Figure 4).