FERRO ALLOY DIVISION

Furnace operation and control

Introduction: Mel has two electric submerged arc furnaces having production capacity of 50,000 tons per annum made by Elkem Norvey, rating is 33 MVA. Both furnaces are stationary closed design type with cell diameter of 12.5 meter and height 6.5 Meter. The walls tops and bottoms of furnace are lined with refractory bricks. Furnace has three platforms above the ground level at a height of 9.75 meter,17.08 meter and 22.98 meter. Each furnace has three electrodes of self baking type. These electrodes are getting power from transformers of 33 MVA.

Principle: Furnace operates on the basic principle of smelting where a suitable reducing agent (carbon) is added to metal oxide to produce metal and carbon mono-oxide and carbon dioxide. Here the reduction of manganese dioxide with carbon and carbon monoxide produces Mn. The reactions are: MnO2 + C == MnO+CO

MnO2+CO == Mn+CO2 MnO + C==Mn +CO 6MnO+8C==2Mn3C+6CO

Liberated CO combines with O2 forms CO2.

Most of the Ph content in ore is reduced with carbon and enters into the alloys. Sulphor is mostly lost in the slag and gas. When Mn ore is melted with coke, iron, Phosphorus and some Silicon is reduced to produce the elemental metal at the same time some complex carbide of Mn and Fe are also formed.

General study of furnace operation : Various system in the furnace operation are: 1. Furnace charging system 2. Furnace electrode 3. Furnace control sytem 4. Transformer and electrical

1. Charging system: There are two bunker house for storing various raw materials. Bunker house no 1 and 2 each having 10 bunkers of 200 cubic meter capacity. These are used to store raw materials which is transported to furnace through conveyer charging system. Each bunker have feeder arrangement to charge material in the scale bins. Each bins has capacity of storing 2 tonnes of material. Each bunker has three weighing scales combining four bunkers each. Each bin is attached with calibration arrangement for weighing of material. After scaling the raw material is fed to furnace 1 from bunker house 1 and to furnace 2 from bunker house no. 2. For furnace 1 the material transported by belt number 11,12,13,14,15. And for furnace no 2 by conveyer belt no. 25,26,27,28,29,30. Furnace 1 has 6 bins whereas furnace 2 has 12 no. of bins. Al l these raw materials are fed to furnace bins through shuttle arrangement.

All these charging systems are monitored and controlled by a control panel desk from control room. From these panels it has got the provision for programming charging schedule controlling the flow of raw material in scale hoppers, scaling and conveyance of raw material by belt and finally discharged at bins.

Electrodes: Electrodes used in the furnace are solderberg electrodes. They are self baking electrodes having diameter of 1500 cm. electrodes are held vertically by hydraulic suspending frames. Vertical movement can be given to these electrodes by hydraulic devices. These devices are called slipping and holding devices. These devices consist of two rings called mounted one above other called upper ring lower ring at 17.08 meter level. Lower ring is stationary and mounted on suspended frame. The upper ring can be moved up and down by means of cylinders connecting the two rings. Each ring assembly consists of friction ring segment and pressure ring segment. The friction ring segment is against the electrode by means of applied compressed air (2 bars) to rubber membrane fitted in the pressure ring. The control valves of slipping device are of celluloid type. The slipping automation can be carried out manually from 17 meter level or automatically from control panel, provided in the control in the control room. At 9 meter level there is a provision of contact clamp to provide current to the electrode. There are 8 contact clamps. Each contact clamp fed electricity to the electrodes through casing. Contact clamps are made up of brass and are of water cooled type. These contact clamps are pressed against the electrode casing by hydraulic pressure of pressure rings normally 5 kg cm2.

The electrode casing is made up of mild steel of 2.5 mm thickness and 1500mm diameter and 1520 mm height. Electrode casing are added by welding one casing above another. When Current passes through the electrodes via electrode casing it transfers paste in to one electrical conductor of high strength. Volatile metal evolved passes downwards and cracked into carbon and hydrogen. The carbon deposited improves strength. Here the baking zone starts at 500 *C at 1/3 height of contact clamp from bottom. At lower temperature steel is more conducting than carbon. These are the main source of baking. As we go downwards temperature increases, with this steel conductivity decrease and carbon conductivity increases. Above 1200 C steel casing melts and the current is completely conducted by carbon. Below charge surface temperature increases rather and it consumes paste. Everyday electrode paste needs to be charged from 22 meter level in the form of bricks. The carbon paste level is maintained at least four meter above contact clamp shoe level.

Transformer and electrical system: Each furnace is provided with one 33 MVA transformer. The transformers are forced oil and water cooled type. The transformers are located at 9.75 meter height. To improve the power factor of primary side capacitor are installed on primary side. Average power factor on primary side is .99. There are 21 tap changer positions provided to get secondary voltage in the range of 150 volts to 250 volts. Power from secondary side of transformer is fed to furnace no 1 with the help of aluminum laminated bus bars and flexible cables whereas furnace 2 it is fed through copper laminated bus bars and flexible cables.

Furnace control system: The furnaces are monitored and controlled by a system of panels and desks provided with necessary instruments and devices in the control room. Furnace control panel: Furnace can be controlled automatically or manually by computer process panel of manual process panel. In manual process panel it is provided with 3 ammeters (0-120 kA) for measuring electrode current. 3 voltmeter (0-250V) for measuring voltage between electrode and bottom surface of furnace. 3 current regulators for controlling and setting of current manually or automatically. Hoist activator for moving the electrode up and down with the help of electrode holder. It also has a megawatt indicator to indicate megawatt load and tap position indicator (0-21 tap) and furnace break switch to start and switch off the furnace.

All the above said provisions can be controlled automatically from a computer process panel except switch off and on process.

Control console panel: This panel indicates various outward instruments whether in running or halt position. This panel contains three centrifugal pump indiacator ,hoist pump station indicator, excel smoke stack fan indicator, propeller fan indiacator(2 no.),one pump station(sliping purpose) indicator, two bottom cooling fan indicator, four booster fan indicators.

Charging panel: It has provision for programming charging schedule, controlling the flow of raw materials in scale hoppers, scaling & conveyance of raw material by belts, discharging at bins etc. For furnace 1 the conveyer system is as follow: bunkers to feeder then to scale bins then to conveyer belts 11,12,13,14,15. Similarly for furnace 2 conveyer system is 25,26,27,28,29,30. Raw material is fed to the furnace by twelve no. of bin pipes, extrapolated from bin to furnace having four bins encircling an electrode. Tapping of metal: Each furnace has two tapholes. Tapping is decided on the basis of energy consumption. Normally 60MW energy is consumed b/w tapping to tapping period. After tapping metal and slag get separated by gravity separation. Slag being lighter than metal floats over the metal. The hot liquid metal flows through a launder and then passed through a skimmer called buffle. In buffle slag and metal are separated. Slag is collected in sand cake bed and metalis collected in metal pits. After tapping is over the taphole is blocked with the help of mudgun. The material used for plugging is mixure of clay and coke.