Electric Arc Furnace

1. EAF Introduction
2. Developments in EAF Technology
3. Basic Equipment and Operation
4. Furnace Layout
5. Electrical Equipment
6. Melting
7. Burners
8. Raw Materials
9. Raw Materials Preparation
10. Alloy Yield
11. Electrode Breakage
12. Slag Foaming
13. Slag Foamability
14. Slag Reduction
15. Deslagging
16. Tapping
17. Exercise: EAF Operation
18. EAF Simulation

The EAF process operation tap-to-tap time is divided into two main sections:

• Power-on time
• Power-off time

The furnace operator strives to minimize these time periods in order to obtain a higher productivity.

Power-on time can only be reduced by increasing the amount of energy entering the steel phase. This can only be achieved by two principally different means:

1. increasing power, which is a compromise between power input and thermal load on equipment; or
2. increasing the efficiency of the added power, i.e. reducing heat losses.

Power-off time includes all periods when the furnace is not in operation, i.e. loading, preparations, tapping, maintenance, and can be shortened by a more efficient handling of intermediate tasks.