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Definition: Steel made in any furnace where heat is generated electrically, almost always by arc. Because of relatively high cost, only tool steels and other high-value steels are made by the electric furnace process.
Electric Steel Process
In the electric steel process, the heat required is obtained not by oxygen combustion of the accompanying elements in the pig iron, but from electrical energy. The conversion of electrical energy into heat can be achieved by an electric or, induction, or plasma furnace. Electric steel processes are based on the use of scrap, with small amounts. Of solid pig iron. Over 90 % of all electric steel produced is by the use of the a.c. electric are furnace. Three graphite electrodes carry the current through the furnace roof into the charge of metal. The electric arc formed melts the charge at temperatures up to 3500 °C. The Furnace has the following essential components: the vessel or shell with a furnace door and a tapping hole; the roof which can be removed for charging; electrode arms which support the electrodes; tilting equipment for emptying the furnace; the furnace transformer; and the measuring and control equipment.
The melting procedure for the electric is furnace comprises the following stages:
1) Charging
2) Melting
3) Oxidization (decarburization), with an increase in temperature
4) Tapping
The raw materials (scrap, sponge iron, pig iron, alloying elements, etc.) together with the required additives (lime, coal, ore, etc.) are loaded into special charging buckets which are then emptied into the furnace through a bottom opening. To fill the furnace, two or three charging operations are required, between which the scrap is partially melted. In some installations the scrap is pre-heated prior to the melting process.
The melting process begins with switching on the current and striking the arc. A
supplementary blow with oxygen and fuel-oxygen mixtures accelerates melting and reduces current consumption. The duration of the melting period is determined by the electric power limit and the maximum heat load of the furnace shell.
The very rapid development of the ffice:smarttags" />d.c. electric are furnace began in the middle of 1985
Important advantages are:
1) Lower electrode consumption
2) Savings in electrical energy
3) Smaller effect on the electricity supply system
4) Symmetrical distribution of heating in the melt
5) Stirring effect on the melt
The central electrode becomes the cathode, and the melt the anode, the bottom of the furnace vessel being insulated from the wall. Current-carrying elements are built into the hearth, and provide an electrical connection to the melt. The d.c. arc acts as a jet pump, directing the gases in and around the electric arc plasma toward the melt, causing efficient heat transfer from the electrode to the melt.