Improving the Efficiency of the Electrical and Technological Operation of a Modular Electric Arc Furnace

Abstract—The electrical and technological operating conditions of a DSP-120 modular electric arc furnace are analyzed. The problems associated with suboptimal furnace operation at a low power factor, lack of automation in gas-oxygen equipment, and the absence of an informative parameter characterizing the efficiency of shielding arcs by a foamed slag have been described. As a solution to these problems, we propose an improved technique for setting the electrotechnological conditions of the modular electric arc furnace, which is used to develop new optimized heat profiles. Recommendations for optimizing the injection of a carbon-containing material into the furnace using a slag coefficient calculated using the harmonic composition of the arc currents are developed. The implementation of these measures in the operating production is found to cause a technical effect in the form of reduced specific energy consumption, which is crucial for a modular electric arc furnace as an energy-intensive technological unit.