Metallurgist, Vol. 43, Nos.

3-4, 1999

CHARGING TECHNOLOGY FOR MODERN

ELECTRIC-ARC FURNACES

W. Burgmann, W. Lur'e,

and G.-L. Rot

Significant advances have been made in the last 10 years in high-rate steelmaking operations performed in arc steel-
making furnaces (ASFs) with low production costs. The development of such technologies was stimulated not only by the
need to optimize production costs, but also by the trend toward the construction of mini-mills having an annual capacity of
0.5-1.5 million tons of rolled products and a flexible production cycle. The improvements to the steelmaking operation were
made possible by the combined and simultaneous use of different energy sources and mixed charging of primary and sec-
ondary raw materials.
The productivity of the ASF has approached the productivity of converters of equivalent capacity, thanks to the use of
progressive methods of preparing the lining and water-cooled components of ASFs, the use of more electric power, and direct
heating of the scrap by the heat of the outgoing gases. However, an electric furnace can make steel having the same contents of
carbon and nitrogen as converter-made steel only by using a charge with a high content of scrap substitutes (liquid and solid pig
iron, metallized raw materials, etc.). The use of such a cold charge then imposes additional requirements on the electric steel-
making operation:
- maintenance of high productivity and a high level of refining of the metal;

- attainment of low concentrations of nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur;

- operation with a large amount of slag and reduction of its valuable components to the maximum extent possible;

- satisfaction of increasingly stringent environmental standards.

Below, we analyze certain designs of ASFs and technologies for charging them that could meet all of the requirements
listed above.
Charging of Molten Pig Iron. To ensure the efficient operation of an ASF, the molten pig iron must be charged while
the furnace is under power as oxygen is simultaneously being injected. This method, which is free of the problems associated
with traditional methods of charging the hot metal, was developed by the Paul Wert Company. The company has acquired an
exclusive license for a process that was developed by the firm ISKOR, has developed equipment and a technology for its use,
and has tested and patented a technology which involves the charging of pig iron under power with the use of a stationary lat-
eral chute that is a component part of the top portion of the shell of the ASF (Fig. 1). The pig iron is poured into the chute from
a ladle placed on a stationary tilting mechanism or a tiltable ladle car (as at the Cockerill-Chambre plant in Belgium).
The method of pig-iron charging that has been developed and patented by Paul Wert ensures the following:
9 the elimination of energy losses;
9 avoidance of overflows or backups of molten pig;
9 prevention of appreciable splashing of metal from the furnace;
9 prevention of abrupt rises in CO concentration in the metallic bath;
9 avoidance of fracture of the lining and the water-cooled panels;
9 attainment of high productivity;
9 production of a tow-carbon semifinished product;
9 freeing of the charging-bay crane for other operations;
9 controllable addition of hot metal in small, continuously feedable portions from large vessels such as hot-metal-car
ladles;

Paul Wert Company (Luxembourg). Translated from Metallurg, No. 3, pp. 41-44, March, 1999.

124 0026-0894/99/0304-0124522.00 9 1999 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers

 Fig. 1. Diagram of the continuous controlled addition of hot metal with the use
of a stationary lateral chute (technology by Paul Wert, Luxembourg).

9 maximum use of the internal energy of the pig iron through efficient transfer of the heat from the combustion of
carbon to the solid charge; this takes place during the scrap-melting period as long as the pile of scrap is high, and it takes
place for a longer period of time when the furnace is operated with shaft heating of the scrap; maximum utilization of inter-
nal energy continues for the duration of the heat when shaft heating of the scrap is combined with the use of a pin-operated
door designed by Paul Wert.
There are two other methods that are traditionally used to charge hot metal, and both of them have serious shortcom-
ings. The first method, so-called batch hot-metal charging through the roof of the furnace, is used after the central portion of
the scrap has been melted and a liquid bath has been formed in the center of the furnace. The hot metal is poured into the cen-
ter of the bath from a ladle suspended on the pouring-bay crane.
Although this technology makes it possible to quickly introduce all of the molten pig iron and thus occupies the crane
for a limited amount of time, its use results in erosion of the lining of the furnace bottom. When a large volume of hot metal is
being poured, the accompanying splashes of metal also erode the water-cooled panels. Also, pouring of the entire volume of
pig iron into the furnace abruptly raises the carbon content of the bath, which leads to an explosive oxidation reaction between
carbon and silicon. The amount of carbon left in the bath at the end of the melting period is insufficient to ensure the necessary
boiling and obtain a low carbon content. Use of the technology also involves substantial heat losses through the open roof and
generates significant amounts of dust and gas.
The second technology involves pouring pig iron through the door with the use of a movable chute. The use of such
equipment requires additional crane operations. The chute is long, and it is necessary to frequently clean encrusted stag from it
and replace the lining. Also, it is difficult to preheat the chute and keep it heated.
Another serious problem with this technology is that it cannot be used in the early stages of the steelmaking process.
The door must be free of scrap and clean. Otherwise, the molten pig will solidify upon contact with the cold scrap and, after
the formation of a salamander in the door, will begin to back up. Many plants (ISKOR, POSCO, etc.) have abandoned this tech-
nology for this reason.
Another serious deficiency of the second method is the substantial increase in carbon concentration later in the melt-
ing period. The lances and manipulators are then unable to complete the carbonization of the bath before power is cut off to the
furnace. Having to perform an additional carbonization operation lowers the furnace's productivity. In addition, less efficient

125
use is made of the energy from the oxidation of carbon at the end of the melting period. That energy could have been used more
efficiently at the beginning of melting, to heat the column of solid charge materials.
Figure 2 and the below figures show the operating characteristics of an ASF when the hot metal is added by the
Paul-Wen technology with the use of a stationary chute and a ladle tipper (A), is poured through the roof (B), and is introduced
through the door with the use of a movable chute (C) (furnace capacity - 110 tons, amount of pig iron - 35%):

A B C
Hot-metal-charging method
Time of crane use, min 3 (+3) 1 6 l 0 (ladle)
3+3 (chute)
Pouring rate, tons/min 2-2.5 10--25 4-5
Accuracy based on weight, tons -+0.1 5 2
Delay after powering of furnace, min 1 7 13
Duration of hot-metal addition, min 17 1.5 7
Technology used in the hot-metal addition
Operation under power Yes No Yes
Operation of burners Yes No No
Refining of the metal:
through the door Yes No No
with the wall lance Yes No Yes
Backup of pig iron No No High risk
Splashing No Severe Slight
Overflow No Yes No, if the door is free
Dust-gas emissions No Severe Yes
Decarbonization Stable Uncontrollable Hard to control
Process parameters
Peak increase in [C], %/min 0.09 1,10 0.23
Effective decarbonization rate 0.08 0.08 0.08
Carbon content, %
maximum - 0.9 2.5 2.2
before tapping 0.05 0.05 0.05
Heat time 100% 2 +7 min +10 min
Energy savings, kWh/ton.% pig iron in the charge 3.5 2.0 2.5

I One hot-metal-car ladle can be used for several heats.

2 Heat time was 44 min (see Table 1).

When some of the scrap is replaced by molten pig iron, it is necessary to correctly evaluate the capabilities of the fur-
nace. The allowable substitution is 20-60%, and the optimum value is 35-40%. The limiting factors here are the productivity
of the furnace and the rate of decarbonization. Another important factor is beginning the decarbonizing blow early in the heat,
which is done with the use of combination burners designed by Paul Wert. This practice makes it possible to avoid having to
use bottom lances, ensures a carbonization rate up to 0.08%/min, and ensures the best indices for energy consumption, produc-
tivity, and quality (Table 1).
Cold-Charging of Solid Pig Iron. Solid pig iron is usually used in a mixture with scrap in an amount corresponding
to 10% of the weight of the charge. The use of large volumes of solid pig iron is known to lead to uncontrollable melting and
the lbrmation of a salamander in the furnace. However, economic considerations compel certain factories, such as plants in
Brazil and China, to use a cold charge that contains substantial quantities of solid pig iron. Some of this solid material may
include dorn~ant and home scrap iron. It is known that large pieces of pig iron are difficull to melt, but they are a valuable source
of energy due to their high contents of carbon and silicon.

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 ~o 140"
c
o

100120" A ~ O O e O O

80 B
60-

40

7 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
x , rain

2.5 ~

'l~, / B
C
2.0-

.5-
A
1~ -

0.5
",..&..
I I I / I t I ! I I
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
x , min

Fig. 2. Change in the weight of molten pig iron (G) and carbon content during the heat
in relation to the method used to add the pig iron to the ASF (the notation is explained
in the text).

When large amounts (30-50%) of pig iron are used in the charge, special attention must be paid to its distribution both
when it is cold-charged in buckets and when it is charged continuously (in a manner similar to the addition of molten pig). As in
the addition of molten pig, the main task is monitoring the melting operation and the formation of CO during the long period. The
decarbonization must be started at an early stage with the use of the combination burners and controlled combustion of CO.
The above-noted problems which arise in melting the charge can be resolved by beginning the blow early and making
intensive use of oxygen. Delayed melting of the solid pig iron leads to late active formation of CO - including during the final
period of the heat - and results in a correspondingly low nitrogen content in the finished steel.
Solid pig iron can be charged into shaft furnaces in which the charge undergoes preheating. However, if the furnaces
are equipped with water-cooled restraining pins, then the quantity of hot flue gases formed becomes important. Pig iron has
been seen to melt in some cases when charged directly onto the pins. The possibility of such melting is confirmed by the fact
that temperature in the lower part of the shaft can reach 1150~ under these conditions (here, heat time exceeds 10-15 min).
Table l shows results of furnace operation when large amounts of pig iron are charged (the data is from the Mendez
Junior plant, which is now part of Belieu Miner in Brazil); data from the Cockerill-Chambre plant (Belgium) is shown for
comparison.

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 TABLE 1. Results of ASF Operation with Solid and Liquid Pig Iron in the Charge

Characteristics Mendez Junior Cockerill-Chambre

of furnace 1997 1999 (planned) 1997 1998 (planned)

Bath diameter, mm 5800 6260 6800 68O0

Weight of liquid pig (in ladle), tons 90 110 140 170
Power of transformer, MVA 48 57 55 x 2 55x2
Heat time, min 64 52 59 44
Productivity, tons/h 96.5 135 155 232
Electric-power consumption, Kwh/ton 380 305 280 210
Consumption of electrodes, kg/ton 2.2 1.7 1.2 1.2
Consumption of
oxygen, nm3/ton 40 50 30 29
natural gas, nm3/ton 0 5.0 4 3
carbon, kg/ton 0 8 5 4
liquid pig iron, % 30 35
solid pig iron, % 40 50
Content during tapping
carbon, % 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.05
nitrogen, ppm 30--40 30-40 35-45 35-40

! Shaft furnace.
2 Crucible-type furnace.
3 Bottom-tapped furnace.

Cold-Charging of Scrap. One of the prerequisites to the rapid progress made in electric steelmaking was being able
to cold-charge almost any type of scrap in baskets with the roof open or moved aside. However, over time steelmakers began
to show a preference for sorted scrap, which gave them more flexibility in choosing the raw materials. In this case, it became
necessary to consider the chemical composition and dimensions of the charge materials, which affect the composition of the bath
and the behavior of the metallic charge during melting and, thus, energy consumption and production costs. In light of this, we
devised a coefficient to express the value of the use of scrap. This value may differ from the market price but may also affect
the latter. The coefficient is derived from the market price of clean, rapidly melting scrap with allowance for chemical correc-
tion factors that account for the assimilation and concentration of energetically valuable elements (C and S), harmful impurities
(Cu, Ni, Mo, Cr, S, P), the content of water and organic components, the degree of oxidation, and the amount of rock present
(Table 2).
Most of the chemical correction factors are easily determined and have almost the same effect on steel production at
different factories, as is reflected by the market prices. Other factors, such as those that determine the content of some of the
above-noted impurities, are specified fairly strictly in relation to local conditions and the ultimate production goats.
There are other correction factors which account for the physical properties of the charge. Although their numerical
value at given factory depends on the percentage of "critical" scrap in the charge, their effect on the steelmaking process and
productivity is obvious. For example, a charge containing 5% scrap by weight will cause almost no problems, while a charge
composed of 30% scrap can significantly raise production costs.
Scrap is carefully sorted with respect to size and density in order to increase its value coefficient. This is particularly
important is the scrap is preheated. The possibility of such heating has become a new factor which is taken into account in deter-
mining the value coefficient of scrap. Here, consideration is given not only to the bulk density and size of the scrap, but also to
the presence of organic contaminants. The main flow diagrams used in preheating scrap are shown in Fig. 3.
Since temperature decreases when the energy of the flue gases is used, it becomes necessary to actively burn organic
radicals that have not yet been completely destroyed. The combustion methods developed for this purpose may have to satisfy

128
 TABLE 2. Correction Factors Which Affect the Coefficient Describing the Value of the Use of Scrap

Correction criterion Effect on useable output Correction factors

Chemical correction factors

C -1% per I% C +(energy carrier, 30-70 kWh/ton)
Si - I % per 1% Si +(energy carrier, 61 kWh/ton)
AI -1% per 1% A1 +(energy carrier, 64 kWh/ton)
Minerals containing S and P Neutral -(additional refining)
Accompanying elements Neutral -(restrict scrap use if not removed)
Cu, Sn, Cr, Mo, Ni, As
Organic impurities (petroleum, Negative +(energy carriers)
lubricating oil, plastics, etc.) -(contamination, requires expenditure for cleanup)
Moisture, ice Negative -(absorbs energy, causes accidents)
Dirt -1% per 1% basic rock -(absorbs energy)
concrete, slag, oxides -2% per 1% acidic rock
Oxidation Negative -(energy for reduction)
Physical correction factors
Oversize scrap Neutral -(delays charging and melting)
Fines Negative -(increase oxidation during preheating
and melting and form salamanders)
Excess weight Neutral -(causes breakage of charging equipment
and furnace and delays melting)
Low density Negative -(increases oxidation and causes
dangerous shifting of the scrap)

the most stringent environmental standards, regardless of whether the charging method involves the use of baskets, movable
heating elements, or other types of equipment and whether or not the charging process is semi-continuous or continuous.
Careful sorting and preparation of scrap are operations that pay for themselves, and they have made it possible to charge
scrap continuously. In accordance with the European standard, pieces of scrap should have the dimensions 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 m
and a maximum weight of 1000 kg. Such a charge is suitable for continuous charging, does not require preliminary processing
in crushers and presses or cleaning and heating devices, and can be adapted for heating in vertical or horizontal units. Since
melting and refining are not continuous processes, the frequency of scrap-charging can be adapted to suit these two operations.
Before continuous charging is introduced, it is necessary to carefully analyze the entire operation of the stockhouse, including
loading-unloading, stockpiling and intermediate storage, weighing, and charging of materials into the continuous charging unit.
The sequence in which each of these tasks is performed must also be closely analyzed.
The differences in the behavior of different groups of scrap during charging and differences in the dimensions and den-
sity of scrap determine the design of the charging system, charging method and rate, and the types of linkages between the con-
veyor, the furnace, and the flue-gas channel. The Paul Wert Company has developed a shaft furnace with a conveyor. The con-
veyor is long enough to hold one complete cold charge for one heat. The width of the conveyor makes it possible to perform
the cold charge at a rate of 15 tons/rain, which is three times faster than the melting rate, since the refining and melting opera-
tions are still periodic. Thus, the column of scrap needs to be formed quickly in the furnace.
Charging of Metallized Charge Materials, Small quantities (up to 20%) of a metallized raw material in the form of
briquets or pellets have been added with scrap in baskets, and up to 10% of the charges placed in preheating shafts has been
composed of metallized products, but only with certain precautions. Large quantities have been continuously fed into the molten
bath through a hole in the roof. Until now, such materials have been charged cold, even when the metallization unit is very near
the furnace.

129
 Preheating in a bucket Preheating in a hot chamber

Final combustion Final combustion

f~_3Final combustion

- inefficient - inefficient
- safe (with modifications) - moderately efficient - safe
- polluting - dangerous - non-polluting
- complicated - polluting - complicated

Preheating in a side tunnel Preheating in a shaft with pins

Final combustion

- moderately efficient i ~ - very efficient

- safe - safe
- non-polluting - non-polluting
- awkward - compact

Final combustion

Fig. 3. Flow diagrams for preheating scrap.

An alternative to this is the use of hot metallized powders in the cold charge, since such a practice saves energy and
increases useable output. Modern metallization units must be located near ASFs. Since metallized powder tends to undergo
oxidation and sintering within the range 600-1000~ it cannot be charged into the furnace by the conventional method.
It is proposed that this material be fed onto a metal sheet in an inert atmosphere. The sheet is then formed into a pro-
tective tube and fed continuously into the liquid bath. In this case, subsequent sintering or chemical reactions do not signifi-
cantly affect the products of the reduction reaction.
Conclusion. Electric steelmaking is assuming an increasingly larger role in steel production, with the use of larger
quantities of scrap substitutes and scrap of different levels of quality. Thus, the goal is to improve the economic and technical
indices of the furnaces, despite the difficulties and limitations connected with the use of this new type of charge.
In improving charging and melting operations and furnace equipment, certain basic requirements must be met:
- maximum use must be made of the available energy (electrical and internal) during the heat;
- the use of electric power and carbon in the furnace must be optimized;
- the time the arc is off due to cold-charging must be made as short as possible;
- the steelmaking process must be made safe and environmentally clean.
These requirements can best be met in a continuously operating furnace. The research and development projects being
carried out at the Paul Wert Company are oriented in this very direction. The first step has been taken - a method has been devel-
oped for the continuous introduction of charge materials into the furnace. The next step is continuous melting and continuous
refining of carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus from the melt, and it will involve the development of a furnace in which slag will be
removed from the furnace and granulated continuously and metal will be tapped from the furnace periodically.

130