Operating method for an arc furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025119991-A1
Application number	US-202318835997-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 7, 2023
Priority date	Feb 15, 2022
Publication date	Apr 10, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A furnace vessel of an arc furnace is loaded with solid metal. Afterward, an energy supply device of the arc furnace feeds electrical energy to electrodes of the arc furnace via a furnace transformer to form arcs between the electrodes and the metal, the arcs melting the metal. Finally, the molten metal is removed from the furnace vessel. The number of electrodes is at least three. For at least two of the electrodes, the energy supply device individually sets the operating frequency (fa, fb) of the relevant electrode. The current (Ic) through the third electrode is defined by the current (Ia, Ib) through the first and the second electrodes. Which of the electrode is the first electrode, which is the second electrode, and which is the third electrode is assigned dynamically.

First claim

1 . An operating method for an electric arc furnace, a power supply device of the electric arc furnace drawing electrical energy from a supply system between charging of a furnace vessel of the electric arc furnace with metal in solid aggregate state and removal of a metal melt from the furnace vessel and supplying the drawn electrical energy via a furnace transformer to at least one first, one second and one third electrode of the electric arc furnace, so that electric arcs form between the electrodes and the metal or the metal melt, by means of which electric arcs the metal-is melted to form the metal melt, the power supply device adjusting an operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode and an operating frequency (fb) of the second electrode individually, so that the current (Ic) through the third electrode is determined by the current (Ia, Ib) through the first and the second electrode, wherein electrodes of a totality of electrodes of the electric arc furnace are dynamically allocated to which of them is the first electrode, which of them is the second electrode and which of them is the third electrode.

2 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operating frequencies (fa, fb) for the first and the second electrode differ from one another.

3 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode varies over time.

4 . The operating method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode varies depending on a process status of the electric arc furnace.

5 . The operating method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the process state is determined by evaluating electrical or acoustic operating variables of the electric arc furnace.

6 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operating frequency (fb) of the second electrode adjusted while taking the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode into account.

7 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrodes of the totality of electrodes of the electric arc furnace are height adjustable independently of one another and in that a positioning (pa, pb, pc) of the respective electrode of the electric arc furnace is determined depending on whether it is the first, the second or the third electrode.

8 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein between charging the furnace vessel with the metal and removal of the metal melt from the furnace vessel, the electric arc furnace is initially operated in a melting phase and then in a flat-bath phase, in that metal is melted to form the metal melt in the melting phase and the metal melt is heated further in the flat-bath phase, and in that the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode is determined during the melting phase depending on the size (G) of the pieces of the metal to be melted by means of the first electrode.

9 . The operating method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode is determined in such a manner during the melting phase that it is smaller, the larger the pieces of the metal to be melted by means of the first electrode.

10 . The operating method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the supply system is operated with a mains frequency (f 0 ) and in that the operating frequency (fa) of the first electrode during the melting phase or during an end phase of the melting phase is greater than the mains frequency(f 0 ).

11 . The operating method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein electrical energy supplied to the electrodes is determined in such a manner that the electrodes in each case input the same amount of energy, averaged over time, into the metal or the metal melt.

12 . A control program product for a control device of an electric arc furnace comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage device and a control program stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage device, wherein the control program comprises machine code that can be executed by the control device, wherein the execution of the machine code by the control device causes the control device to operate the electric arc furnace according to the operating method as claimed in claim 1 .

13 . A control device of an electric arc furnace, wherein the control device comprises a non-transitory computer-readable device storing a control program, so that the execution of the control program by the control device causes the control device to operate the electric arc furnace according to the operating method as claimed in claim 1 .

14 . An electric arc furnace,
wherein the electric arc furnace has a furnace vessel which can be charged with metal and from which a metal melt can be removed, wherein the electric arc furnace has a power supply device and electrodes and also a furnace transformer, wherein the power supply device is connected at the input side to a supply system and at the output side via the furnace transformer to the electrodes, wherein the electric arc furnace has a control device, by which at least the power supply device can be activated, wherein the control device is designed as claimed in claim 13 .

Assignees

• Primetals Technologies Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Matschullat Thomas
• Winter Günther

Classifications

• H05B7/20

  Direct heating by arc discharge, i.e. where at least one end of the arc directly acts on the material to be heated, including additional resistance heating by arc current flowing through the material to be heated · CPC title

• F27B3/28

  Arrangement of controlling, monitoring, alarm or the like devices · CPC title

• F27B3/085

  Arc furnaces · CPC title

• C21C2300/06

  Modeling of the process, e.g. for control purposes; CII · CPC title

• H05B7/144

  Power supplies specially adapted for heating by electric discharge; Automatic control of power, e.g. by positioning of electrodes · CPC title