文摘
Increasingly, sustainable smelting requires technology that can process metallurgically complex, low-grade, ultra-fine and waste materials. It is likely that more applications for direct current (DC) technology will inevitably follow in the future as DC open-arc furnaces have some wonderful features that facilitate processing of a variety of materials in an open-arc open-bath configuration. A DC open-arc furnace allows for optimization and choice of chemistry to benefit the process, rather than being constrained by the electrical or physical properties of the material. In a DC configuration, the power is typically supplied by an open arc, providing relative independence and thus an extra degree of freedom. However, if the inherent features of the technology are misunderstood, much of the potential may never be realised. It is thus important to take cognisance of the freedom an operator will have as a result of the open arc and ensure that operating strategies are implemented. This extra degree of freedom hands an operator a very flexible tool, namely virtually unlimited power. Successful open-arc smelting is about properly managing the balance between power and feed, and practical perspectives on the importance of power and feed balance are presented to highlight this aspect as the foundation of proper open-arc furnace control.