Compared with conventional oxyfuel, flameless oxyfuel provides even higher production rates, excellent temperature uniformity and very low NOx emissions. Since its commercial introduction in 2003, the leading supplier has made more than 30 installations of the flameless oxyfuel technology. This chapter describes the state-of-the-art oxygen technologies, including results from installations in the steel industry, and discusses their future possibilities to make steel production more effective.

Director Jens Kallesøe from Afatek grabs a ballpoint pen and starts to dismantle it.

“This ordinary ballpoint pen contains four different materials: On the outside is a belly belt and a clip, both made of stainless steel. Two pieces of plastic tubing hold it all together. Inside is an ink tube made of plastic. One end has a stainless steel spring, and the other a small brass piece, where the ink comes out. So we found two types of plastic and two types of metal with sizes down to 1 mm,” he says, now with four different pen pieces in his hands.