Electric arc furnace

History and Development of Electric Arc Furnaces: Electric arc used for melting iron in the 19th century. First operational electric arc furnace by James Burgess Readman in 1888. Commercial development by Paul Héroult in 1907. Expansion postWorld War II, with Nucor entering the market in 1969. Construction and Operation of Electric Arc Furnaces: Components: refractorylined vessel, graphite electrodes, shell, hearth, roof. Electrodes powered by threephase electrical supply. Automatic positioning system for electrodes. Tilting platform for tapping and pouring molten steel. Operation: temperature around 3,000°C, electrode wear, regulating system, tapping process. Efficiency and Energy Consumption in Electric Arc Furnaces: Modern furnaces use oxygenfuel burners for efficiency. Energy consumption: around 400 kWh per short ton for steel production. Energy requirements for melting scrap steel and operation of EAFs. Importance of abundant and reliable electricity for economic viability. Global steel production energy consumption comparison. Slag Formation, Tapping, and Ladle Treatment in Electric Arc Furnaces: Slag composition, role in reducing erosion, and enhancing efficiency. Tapping process: monitoring temperature and chemistry, alloy additions. Ladle treatment: pouring slag, adding fluxes, leaving hot heel. Maintenance of heat for the next charge with liquid steel and slag. Importance of proper operations for steel quality and efficiency. Advantages, Issues, and Variants of Electric Arc Furnaces: Advantages: 100% scrap metal feedstock, flexibility, lower emissions. Environmental effects, capital costs, and hazardous waste management. Technical challenges in power systems and sideeffects like flicker. Variants: DC arc furnaces, ladle furnaces, and other applications. Cooling methods, plasma arc furnaces, vacuum arc remelting, and related processes.