| Abstract Scope |
Secondary aluminum producers are increasingly challenged to process lower-grade, contaminated scrap while maintaining or improving metal yield. Reverberatory furnaces rely on oxy-fuel combustion to boost production and improve specific fuel consumption. Burner design can further reduce metal loss by controlling furnace atmosphere. A newly developed oxy-fuel burner provides greater operational flexibility. During melting and holding, it generates a flat, wide flame that creates a low-O₂, high-CO atmosphere above the melt surface. During initial scrap charging, the burner can operate in oxygen-rich mode to assist in processing contaminated scrap. This smart burner technology incorporates integrated sensors enabling real-time feedback control. This paper presents industry-scale laboratory test results comparing the new burner with a conventional design, including furnace temperature, heat flux, and in-furnace gas species (O₂, CO). CFD modeling results demonstrate how the gas atmosphere near the melt surface changes, providing a practical pathway to process contaminated scrap and improve metal yield. |