The Effect of Electrode Movements on Electrical Characteristics of a Submerged Arc Furnace

Abstract

This work discusses the effect of electrode position on the electrical characteristics of a submerged arc furnace. A 3D model has been developed in ANSYS Maxwell using an eddy current solver that considers alternating current. The model includes flexibles, busbars, and the whole furnace. The furnace model contains electrodes, main arcs, craters, crater walls, and side arcs that connect the electrode and crater wall, which are taken into account for each phase. Other furnace parts such as carbon block, steel shell, and alumina brick are also incorporated. The electrical characteristics such as system resistance, active and reactive power distributions, and the power factors are presented. The results showed that between 68% and 65% of the reactive power comes from the far field. The electrodes' contribution to the reactive power is between 3.5% and 6% due to the change of electrode length. Reactive power distributions in carbide and charge are more affected by tip positions than holder positions.