Open-hearth steelmaking process

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF OPERATING STEELMAKING OPEN-HEARTH FURNACES TO PRODUCE STEEL OF A DEIRED CARBON CONTENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CHARGING SUITABLE QUANTITIES OF IRON OXIDE, STONE, FERROUS SCRAP AND PIG IRON AND OF BURNING A SUITABLE FUEL OVER SAID CHARGE TO EFFECT A MOLTEN BATH AND THE REFINING THEREOF, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF THE STEP OF APPLYING ELEMENTAL OXYGEN TO THE SURFACE OF SAID BATH FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE REFINING PERIOD AND FOR SUCH TIME THEREAFTER AS THE CARBON CONTENT OF THE BATH IS GREATER THAN ABOUT 0.3%, APPLYING SAID OXYGEN DURING SUCH INTERVAL IN AN AMOUNT BETWEEN 200 AND 1000 CUBIC FEET PER TON OF METAL BATH AT A RATE OF BETWEEN 50 AND 300 C.F.H. PER TON AND IN A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL STREAMS DIRECTED TO CONTACT THE BATH SURFACE AT SEPARATE SPOTS SPACED SUFFICIENTLY APART TO PROVIDE AN ISOLATED REACTION ZONE FOR EACH STREAM, AND REGULATING EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL STREAMS TO DELIVER NO MORE THAN 6500 C.F.H. OF OXYGEN AT A VELOCITY BETWEEN 400 AND 1100 F.P.S. WHEREBY DELETERTION FUMING AND SPLASHING RESULTING FROM THE APPLICATION OF OXYGEN WHEN THE CARBON CONTENT OF THE BATH IS ABOVE 0.3% IS ELIMINATED.