The Complete Guide to Submerged Arc Furnace

Submerged Arc furnace is a special electric furnace widely used in industrial fields. You can mainly use it in various metal smelting and material processing processes. The unique working mode of buried arc furnace makes it show important value in many aspects.

What is submerged arc furnace?

Submerged arc furnace (SAF) is an industrial electric furnace that uses the electric arc generated between the carbon graphite electrode and the charge to provide a heat source. So as to achieve the smelting and refining of raw materials such as ores.

Structural composition of submerged arc furnace

The submerged arc furnace is mainly composed of electrodes, furnace body, transformer and control system. Eletrodo de grafite is usually made of graphite material. And its diameter depends on the capacity of the furnace and the specific process requirements. The furnace body includes the furnace shell and the furnace lining, which is made of steel plate to support and protect the furnace. And the furnace lining is made of refractory materials, such as high aluminum bricks, magnesium bricks, etc.. This resists the erosion of high temperature and slag. The transformer provides a stable current to the electrode. And its capacity is selected according to the power and operating requirements of the furnace. The control system is responsible for monitoring and controlling the parameters of the submerged arc furnace to ensure its stable operation.

Working principle of submerged arc furnace

The core working principle of the submerged arc furnace is based on the generation of electric arc and the efficient conversion of electric energy to heat energy. When inserting the graphite electrode into the charge and energized, a strong electric field is formed between the electric extreme part and the charge. This will cause the air to be ionized, resulting in an arc. Arc as a high-temperature plasma, the temperature can be as high as thousands of degrees Celsius. It can quickly convert electrical energy into heat energy, and transfer heat to the surrounding charge. So that the charge is heated until melting.

In this process, various components in the charge will undergo complex physical and chemical reactions, such as REDOX reactions. And finally get the target product. At the same time, in order to ensure the continuous progress of the reaction and the uniform distribution of heat, we usually should equip the submerged arc furnace with a special feeding system, electrode lifting system and ventilation smoke exhaust system. To maintain a stable operating environment and heat balance in the furnace.

Submerged arc furnace design

When designing a submerged electric arc furnace, should consider many factors. First of all, the size and shape of the furnace body. As well as the number and position of the electrodes, should be determined according to the use and production scale of the furnace. At the same time, should optimize the heat dissipation performance of the furnace body. To ensure the normal operation of the furnace body at high temperature. In addition, it is necessary to design a suitable feeding system. To ensure that the charge can be uniformly added to the furnace.

Submerged arc furnace vs electric arc furnace

There are significant differences between submerged arc furnace and electric arc furnace in some aspects. The electric arc furnace mainly produces high temperature through the arc to melt the metal. While the submerged arc furnace is covered by the charge. And it mainly transfers the heat through the conduction of the charge. The advantage of submerged arc furnaces is that they have high thermal efficiency. And it can achieve higher production with lower energy consumption. At the same time, the submerged arc furnace has strong adaptability to the charge. And it can handle various types of charge.

Application of submerged arc furnace

For Alloy production

Submerged arc furnace plays an important role in alloy production. By controlling the temperature and composition in the furnace, the electrode paste (as part of the electrode material) is able to stabilize the arc. And then produce a variety of different types of alloys, such as nickel-based alloys, iron alloys, etc. It can precisely control the composition and properties of the alloy and improve the quality of the alloy.

Yellow phosphorus

Yellow phosphate is an important chemical raw material. You can use the submerged electric arc furnace for the production of yellow phosphate. It can react raw materials such as phosphate rock at high temperature to produce yellow phosphorus. The high temperature environment of it is conducive to improving the production efficiency and quality of yellow phosphate.

Silicon

Silicon is an important semiconductor material. You can also use submerged arc furnace for silicon production. It can melt and reduce silicon ore at high temperature to obtain high purity silicon. In the process of silicon production, the submerged arc furnace can precisely control the temperature and impurity content. And improve the quality of silicon.

Material Processing

You can also widely use submerged arc furnace in the field of material processing. You can use it for the processing of various metal materials, such as forging, rolling and so on. It can provide high temperature environment. So that metal materials in the process of processing to obtain good performance.

Other fields

In addition, you can also use submerged arc furnace in some other fields. Such as glass manufacturing, ceramic production and so on. In the process of glass manufacturing, it is used to melt glass raw materials and improve the quality and output of glass. In ceramic production, it is used to fire ceramic products to improve the quality and performance of ceramics.

Key elements and economic considerations of submerged arc furnaces

Submerged arc furnace transformer

The transformer is the key component of submerged arc furnace. It provides a stable current for the electrode, and its performance directly affects the operating efficiency of submerged arc furnace. The capacity of the transformer is selected according to the power and working requirements of the furnace. When choosing a transformer, factors such as reliability, efficiency and maintenance costs need to be considered.

Price of submerged arc furnace

The submerged arc furnace price varies according to the size, capacity and configuration of furnace body. In general, the price of large submerged arc furnaces is higher, while the price of small submerged arc furnaces is relatively low. In addition, the price of it is also affected by market demand, raw material prices and other factors.

Technical indicators of submerged arc furnace

Submerged arc furnace capacity

Its capacity depends on the size and design requirements of the furnace body. 9MVA submerged arc furnace is a more common specification, it takes into account a certain production scale and flexibility. And it is suitable for a variety of metal smelting and material processing processes. Generally speaking, the larger the capacity of submerged arc furnace, the stronger its production capacity.

how to calculate pcd of submerged arc furnace？

Pcd (Power density) of submerged arc furnace refers to the power consumption per unit volume. It is necessary to consider the size of the furnace body, the power of the electrode and the properties of the charge to calculate the pcd of the submerged arc furnace. The operation efficiency and performance of it can be optimized by reasonable calculation of pcd.

Advantages and characteristics

High Energy Efficiency

Submerged arc furnace has high energy efficiency. Since the arc is covered by the charge, the heat is mainly transferred through the conduction of the charge. This reduces the heat loss. At the same time, the submerged arc furnace can achieve higher output under lower energy consumption and reduce production costs.

Product Quality

It can precisely control the temperature and composition in the furnace. Thereby improving the quality of the product. In the process of alloy production, the submerged arc furnace can produce alloy products with excellent properties and uniform composition.

Environmental Performance

The submerged arc furnace produces less pollutants in the production process. Since the arc is covered by the charge, it reduces the radiation and dust emission of the arc. At the same time, the waste gas treatment system of it can effectively treat the waste gas. And then reduce the impact on the environment.

Conclusão

As an important industrial equipment, submerged arc furnace plays an important role in metal smelting, material processing and other fields. Its unique working principle and structural characteristics make it have high energy efficiency and product quality. With the continuous development of technology, the application range of submerged arc furnace will continue to expand. At the same time, it also has certain advantages in environmental protection. In the future, submerged arc furnaces will continue to develop and bring more benefits to industrial production.