Numerical study of dc arc plasma and molten bath in dc electric arc furnace

Abstract

A numerical study of the arc plasma and molten bath in a dc electric arc furnace (EAF) is useful for understanding and improving the production process of the dc EAF. In the present paper, a mathematical model based on conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy along with Maxwell's equations is developed to describe the flow field and heat transfer in the arc and molten bath regions of a dc EAF simultaneously. The governing equations are solved using the PHOENICS software package. The calculated results show good agreement with those of previous studies, giving a useful insight into the factors of arc heat transfer and bath circulation.

Modelling magnetohydrodynamic processes in DC arc steelmaking furnace with bottom electrodes

“…The molten metal movement in CFX is described by the Navier-Stokes equation (1) and continuity equation (2). 13 To describe the turbulent movement of the liquid, the standard k2e turbulence model (3)(4)(5) of CFX software was taken, with settings debugged in the following works.…”

“…1 In high quality steel production, direct current (DC) electric arc furnaces (EAFs) are widely used and account for 70% of new EAFs being built. 2 Compared with alternating current furnaces, they have a number of advantages: reduced emission of dust and gaseous pollutants (up to 50%), reduced electric energy consumption by 5-15%, reduced furnace loss of alloying components by 15-20%, etc. 3 The recent tendency in the development of this furnace type is the increase in heat size.…”

“…However, the results of different numerical approaches to analyse the fluid flow, heat transfer and temperature stratification in the steel bath showed that the injection of argon gas could increase the mixing but would be detrimental for the bottom electrode. 2 An alternative method of mixing liquid metal in the bath is electrovortex movement of liquid, produced by the Lorenz force that appears as a result of the uneven distribution of current density and magnetic induction. However, according to the experimental data, electrovortex movement of liquid can be of negative character and destroy the bottom electrode as well as the fettle near it.…”

Review on Modeling and Simulation of the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)

“…Wang et al develop a rotationally symmetric arc model for the DC EAF. The electrode diameter is D = 0.16 m, the arc length L arc = 0.07–0.25 m, the melt surface is smooth, and the material properties are independent of temperature.…”

Computational analysis of a twin-electrode DC submerged arc furnace for MgO crystal production

“…Mathematical models describing the heat and fluid flow in an electric arc have been used to predict heat transfer from the arc to the steel bath in DC Electric Arc Furnaces for steel making (Wang et al, 2006). However, steady-state conditions are assumed in these models, and the cathode spot is located at the centre of the graphite electrode bottom.…”