Abstract: A metallurgical plasma melting process wherein a plasma burner and a separate start-up burner disposed alongside same in the same port have their axes intersecting in the furnace at an acute angle. Only the start-up burner is operated initially to form a crater in material in the furnace. Thereafter the plasma burner is ignited and the start-up burner is turned off when the plasma burner is operating at full efficiency.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma burner for metallurgical furnaces which is operated with gaseous mixtures, wherein an addition gas is fed to the plasma burner via a ring conduit into the inside of the burner. The gas conduction pipes on the addition-gas outlet are arranged at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal axis of the burner, 35.degree. to 45.degree.. The point of intersection between plasma arc and addition gas is 25 to 45 mm in front of the rod-shaped cathode. In order to increase the output with constant arc current and without chemical reaction with as molten material, hydrogen or nitrogen is used as addition gas; and when a chemical reaction is desired, oxygen or oxygen-containing gas mixtures are used.

Abstract: A metallurgical plasma melting furnace for the melting of metals and alloys is provided with a substantially cylindrical melting vessel and a plurality of plasma burners disposed in burner openings in the walls of the vessel for creating flow stable plasma arcs. The vessel includes a first vertical cylindrical domain and a second vertical cylindrical domain divided by a vertical longitudinal plane and wherein the burners are located in the first cylindrical domain facing the second cylindrical domain and positioned such that the points of intersection of the projections of the burner axes are disposed in the second cylindrical domain and the distance between the intersection points is less than the radius of the vessel.