Application of new technology in the design of high-power electric smelting furnaces

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 86, No. 972, 1993

A.G. Matyas, R.C. Francki, K.M. Donaldson and B. Wasmund, Hatch Associates Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario

The construction of large, high-power electric furnaces has been an important factor in the growth of electric smelting technology. New developments in the design and operation of electric furnaces have been spurred by the escalating cost of electric power and increasingly stringent environmental constraints. Key areas of progress include the application of high voltage to enhance furnace productivity; the installation of novel furnace cooling elements and robust binding systems to extend furnace life; development of process schemes to reduce power consumption by preheating and prereduc-tion of the charge; and environmental control improvements for handling fine dusty feedstocks, and for furnace sealing. This paper reviews these developments and outlines a systematic approach for their application in the custom design of new or retrofit electric furnace facilities.