Numerical Study on Transient Smelting Process for Manganese-Silicon Production in a Submerged Arc Furnace

The manganese-silicon is mainly used as deoxidizer in the steel production and intermediate material of alloying agent. It is obtained by smelting in a submerged arc furnace, which the main furnace materials are manganese ore and coke. Two significant aspects affect ore smelting. One is the power supply, which a three-phase alternating electric energy is transferred to the furnace through electrodes. The other is the furnace smelting state, which encompasses the ore, slag, alloy, and gas phases. In the present paper, a systematic furnace melting model has been developed for ore smelting, which is dominated jointly by electrical control and metallurgical control. The 36 MW furnace for manganese-silicon production has been investigated during the production period. The reduction reactions and associated magneto-hydrodynamic flow are also considered in the three-dimensional transient model. The arc plasma and furnace lining sub-models are simulated. The arc heat and Joule heat by electrothermal conversion raise the temperature in the furnace. The temperature distribution has a great influence on the electrode current and the alloy yield. The output of alloy can be obtained in real time. The numerical results provide valuable insights for the interactions between multi-physics field in the submerged arc furnace. A better understanding of ore smelting process will improve the smelting efficiency and furnace control.