Pyrometallurgical furnaces are integral for extracting valuable metals from ores, operating at temperatures exceeding 1600°C. These furnaces represent complex multiphase systems, posing significant challenges for direct industrial-scale study.
In most furnaces, materials are charged, smelted, and accumulated, followed by a tapping process. The furnace features a 'tap-hole', a channel through the steel and brickwork, used for periodically opening and closing. The opening process involves lancing to remove refractory clay, akin to using a cutting torch. High temperatures are achieved by oxygen reacting with the steel lance. Once the lance penetrates the clay, unburned oxygen gas can enter the furnace, potentially impacting the molten material inside.
Although an full model combining thermochemistry to study chemical interaction with a multiphase fluid flow would be ideal, combining these into a model that can be solved in a sensible amount of time would not necessarily yield a better set of answers than studying the problem in a systematic way from both angles.

In this paper, the authors explore different elements of gaining insight into the effect of lancing inside open-bath DC furnaces through multiphase fluid flow modelling for different situations in the furnace prior to tapping. The results from the fluid flow modelling is used to inform some of the other modelling done pertaining to potential refractory wear, etc. in the furnace as well.