Well done. You managed to find a negative angle to pursue. Big...

Well done. You managed to find a negative angle to pursue. Big deal. Now they know not to use those parameters again. It doesn't matter as long as they have optimised the process when it's time to crank up the pilot plant.

Testing involves trial and error. There are so many variables it would be impossible to achieve continuous improvements with every subsequent parameter permutation.

"The furnaces being tested utilise proven technology aimed at duplicating the current smelting method with enhanced control of smelt conditions. " <-- this is the key.