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2022.12.01

Should We Use Oxygen Lance Pipes in Induction Furnaces?

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In the steel manufacturing industry, there are two main methodologies to produce steel which are by Blast Furnace and by Electric Furnace. In Electric Furnaces, arc furnaces, resistance furnaces, and induction furnaces are the most common types of contemporary electric furnaces. During the production process, the challenge is that people may not recognize that there is an approach to using oxygen lance pipes for adjusting the composition of pig iron during production by induction furnaces. Also, it may be unknow how effective oxygen lance pipes are for applications such as gas blowing, scrap cutting, and taphole drilling.

In this blog, by showing the principle of operation in induction furnaces and examples of oxygen lance pipes, it is possible to encourage steelmakers who use induction furnaces to introduce various types of oxygen lance pipes.

Induction Furnace

An induction furnace is a metal dissolving furnace that is powered by electricity. It generates heat by using an alternating current control valve coil, also known as electromagnetic induction. They are most commonly observed in the metal recycling business. A coil conveying switching electric charge surrounds chambers in the boiler. Eddy currents are created in the metal (charge), and the cycling of these current flow produces elevated temperatures, allowing the metals to be melted and alloys of correct composition to be formed.

burning-cast-iron-induction-furnace-foundry-633082388  

Why we need to use oxygen lance pipes for Induction Furnace?

There are various areas in Induction Furnaces, where steel manufacturers apply different types of oxygen lance pipes. 

  1. Lower Carbon to under 0.25%:
    The most common type of carbon steel is moderate steel with carbon under 0.25%. Such steels typically get an amount of carbon of less than 0.25 wt.%. It can really be toughened by high temperatures to generate hardenability. Low-carbon steels are commonly used in vehicle body structures, construction forms, pipelines, building and bridge elements, and culinary bottles. Therefore, adjusting oxygen levels precisely during this process is one majority requirement. Longer time lifespan oxygen lance pipes with high heat and corrosion resistance are the optimal choices. For this purpose, we recommend customers use Daiwa Calorized Lance pipe to enhance the performance.

    low-carbon-steel-that-has-been-1686922030                               

    Photo of the low carbon steel which was applied to the breaking test


  2. Cleaning Furnaces or Cutting Frozen Steel:
    During the steel melting process, molten steel will stick to the wall, and on the floor. The finishing process requires workers to cleaning of the plant due to this situation. The molten steel is poured into the ladle, which serves as a furnace for metallurgical operations at the production plants. After the remaining liquids have cooled, the ladle furnace should always be cleaned. Therefore, it is needed to use an oxygen lance pipe with a powerful flame to burn and remove the cool-down steel still sticking to the furnace and the floor. For this purpose, we recommend customers use Daiwa Thermic Lance and Daiwa SC Lance pipe to enhance the performance.

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Photo of Operator Cleaning the Ladle Furnace inside Induction Furnace Mill

Daiwa Oxygen Lance Pipes

  • Daiwa SC Lance (SC) is a mild steel oxygen lance pipe made with HRC (Hot Rolled Steel Sheet in the coil), welded by high-frequency welding equipment, there is no oil, and no grease on the pipe. It is preferable to be used for cleaning ladle furnaces with small ODs.

SC 3 pcs

Photo of Daiwa SC Lance Pipes in Small OD Sizes for Cleaning Purpose

 

  • Daiwa Thermic Lance (TL) is a steel pipe with the hollow core packed with steel wires and mostly used for heating, melting and cutting large or heavy metal materials.
    When being ignited with a conventional acetylene torch, pure oxygen is passed through the pipe from an oxygen cylinder and regulator, enabling Thermic Lance to generate an impressively powerful temperature up to 4,000oC, which is hot enough to melt almost anything.
    In general, Thermic Lance can be classified into different categories depending on the purpose of usage, however, Type T and Type W are the most common ones.

TL 3 pcs

Photo of Daiwa TL Lance Pipes in Type T and Type W
 
 
  • Daiwa Calorized Lance (CA) is produced by our know-how of Calorizing process technology. During the production, Calorized layer and Ceramic coating are provided both for the outside and inside of the pipe. The calorized layer and the refractory coating layer together generate strong heat resistance and anti-oxidation to achieve minimum consumption of lance pipe to cut down your cost.

CA Lance 3pcs
Photo of Daiwa CA Lance Pipe with Technology of Heat and Corrosion Resistance 

Conclusion

By using Daiwa Lance pipes, there are also other various impacts that could support and bring to the whole steel production process. We apply various types of oxygen lance pipes that can enhance the performance of steel production by Induction Furnaces steel mills.

If you wish to know more about the suitable oxygen lance pipe, feel free to contact our dynamic team to support you during your journey.

Contact Us!

 


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Should We Use Oxygen Lance Pipes in Induction Furnaces?

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