OPTIMUM CONTENT OF CARBON IN THE CHARGE OF AN EAF

Results are presented from a study performed to determine how the quantity of carbon-bearing materials charged into an electric-arc steelmaking furnace to carbonize the metal affects the main indices of the heat - electric-power consumption, the duration of the heat, the time of furnace operation under current, and hourly productivity. The use of a mathematical model developed previously showed that there is a quantity of carbon-bearing materials that is optimum from the standpoint of minimizing electric-power consumption and maximizing the hourly productivity of the furnace. The existence of this optimum quantity has been substantiated theoretically, but it has not yet been confirmed by statistical studies due to the large number of other factors that have a significant effect on the above-named indices.