Refractory Practice in Electric Arc Furnace

Abstract

Owing to several advantages including flexibility to produce several grades of steel, precise control, cleaner environment and minimum installation space, many mini steel plants are producing steel through electric arc furnace (EAF) route. This protocol is benefited to use sponge iron and higher share of scrap utilization. EAF supports 35% high alloy steel production around the globe. Different constructional and operational features, side wall and bottom/hearth refractory properties, and refractory design for bottom tapping are discussed in the perspective of effective steel processing. Despite the use of three carbon electrodes in EAF, only one electrode-based direct current (DC) arc furnace is highlighted. Refractory corrosion mechanism in the presence of different impurities and subsequent slag interaction are discussed through relevant phase diagrams in order to select the refractory depending on steel compositions. Eventually, the state-of-the-art operating practice and refractory performances are summarized.