The Effect of Foamy Slag on Power Consumption in Electric Arc Furnaces

In electric arc furnace steelmaking units, the essential parameters are reducing price, increasing production and decreasing environmental pollution. Electric arc furnaces are the largest users of electric energy in industry. The most important techniques that can be used to reduce the electric energy consumption in electric arc furnaces are scrap preheating, stirring, use of burners and hot charge and foamy slag. Between these methods, the use of foamy slag is the most useful and economical factor. Foamy slag can reduce the amount of energy, electrodes, refractory consumption, and tap to tap time while it also increases productivity. In this study, method of production and optimum conditions for foamy slag in a 200-ton electric arc furnace were investigated. The use of foamy slag in this research can reduce the electric energy consumption from 670 to 580 kwh/t and the melting time from 130 to 115 min. and that the electric power input can be increased. It also shows that with foamy slag, the optimum amount of FeO in slag is 20-24 percent and the optimum basicity is 2-2.2. Keywords: electric arc furnace, energy, DRI, foamy slag