The Influence of Electric-Arc-Furnace Input Feeds on its Electrical Energy Consumption

摘要

Operation of the electric arc furnaces (EAFs) is a subject to consider fluctuations in terms of its key performance indicators, such as the electrical energy consumption (EEC), tap-to-tap time, steel yield, and others. In this paper, a more detailed analysis of the electric arc furnace data is performed, investigating its EEC. It is well known that the EEC is affected by the weight and the type of charged scrap, the operational delays, and the tapping temperature. On the other hand, one can also deduce that the feeds, such as the carbon and the oxygen, could also affect the EEC, due to their role in redox equations and impact to the bath energy balance. Therefore, special attention is devoted to the analysis of the carbon-to-oxygen ratio during the electric arc furnace operation and the consequent influence of the oxygen availability on the EEC. Statistical analysis of more than 2500 heats of data, which were clustered according to the produced steel grade and the charged scrap mixture, has revealed that besides the beforementioned factors, fluctuations in EEC could appear also due to different amounts of added carbon and oxygen. Since the furnace operators usually rely on predefined guidelines and their own experience when actuating the furnace, a simplistic statistical approach can be used to reveal some of the weaknesses in the control routines, which can be used as a starting point to improve their actuation, leading to decreased energy consumption.