Appeal 2007-0200
Application 10/445,466
embodiment (Figs. 1-9) comprising main nozzles 36 and auxiliary nozzles
38, both of which are capable of blowing either an inert gas, such as
nitrogen, or an oxygen-containing gas (Watkins, col. 6, ll. 14-24), and a
single circuit lance embodiment (Figs. 10-16) comprising main nozzles 36'
and auxiliary nozzles 38', both capable of blowing an inert gas and an
oxygen-containing gas (Watkins, col. 10, ll. 55-67). Each of the second or
auxiliary nozzles extends along a gas flow path at an angle with respect to
the lance longitudinal axis in the range of from about 60o to about 75o
(Watkins, col. 2, l. 67 to col. 3, l. 2) or "from about 30o or greater" (Watkins,
col. 7, ll. 29-31) and each of the first or main nozzles extends along a gas
flow path at an angle with respect to the lance longitudinal axis of from
about 5o to about 20o, with nozzle extensions enabling gas to be blown from
the first or main nozzles at ranges of angles from about 10o to about 20o,
about 8o to about 15o, and about 10o to about 14o (Watkins, col. 3, ll. 7-12).
The double circuit embodiment has a control valve array 138 (Fig. 6)
including four independently operable, two-position valves. As illustrated in
Table 1 (Watkins, col. 8, ll. 66-67 and col. 9, ll. 23-37), during slag
splashing, inert gas (nitrogen) is blown through both the main nozzles 36
and the auxiliary nozzles 38 and, during deskulling, oxygen is blown though
the auxiliary nozzles 38 and oxygen and/or nitrogen is blown through the
main nozzles 36. In the single circuit embodiment, a common gas flow
passage 106' is in fluid communication with the gas inlet pipe 98' and
provides both the main nozzles 36' and the auxiliary nozzles 38' with a flow
of oxygen and nitrogen gas supplied in the gas inlet pipe 98' (Watkins, col.
12, ll. 10-13). In other words, unlike the double circuit embodiment, the
single circuit embodiment does not permit nitrogen or oxygen to be
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Last modified: September 9, 2013