An apparatus and a process for the production of high purity silicon from silica containing material such as quartz or quartzite, using a vacuum electric arc furnace, are disclosed.

An enclosure of a steel-making furnace system includes a support structure including a frame that defines an interior, a supply line for supplying a cooling liquid from a reservoir, and a return line fluidly coupled to the supply line and the reservoir. A plurality of panels includes sinuously winding piping having an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is fluidly coupled to the supply line and the outlet is fluidly coupled to the return line. The frame includes a plurality of support members spaced from one another, where each of the plurality of support members defines a slot. Each of the plurality of panels is removably and slidably received with the slot for coupling to the frame.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of metallurgy, and discloses a horizontal continuous feeding preheating device and an enhanced preheating method therefor. The scheme comprises that two dust removal ports are arranged at the front and rear parts of a horizontal continuous feeding preheating duct, and the horizontal continuous feeding preheating duct is divided into an enhanced preheating area and a flue gas preheating area by the two dust removal ports arranged at the front and rear parts of the horizontal continuous feeding preheating duct; burners are installed in the enhanced preheating area, and the two dust removal ports are connected with a flue gas adjusting distributor respectively by a flue gas pipeline the steel scrap preheating efficiency of the burners and electric arc furnace flue gas is increased by controlling the flow rate and temperature of mixed flue gas.

A method of detecting an open arc in a DC plasma arc furnace which is based on detecting a linear decrease in the log of the magnitude of the frequency spectrum of the voltage between the anode and cathode.

A method for operating an electric arc furnace having at least one electrode, the method including the following steps: introducing material that is to be melted in the form of an actual mass flow into the electric arc furnace and feeding electrical energy via at least one electrode into the electric arc furnace in order to melt the introduced material depending on a previously determined, necessary electrical energy input. The necessary electrical energy input into the arc furnace is determined depending on the mass flow input into the furnace.

The invention is directed to a process for extracting a metal from a slag containing said metal, wherein the liquefied metal-containing slag is heated in at least one electric arc furnace (1, 2). In order provide an improved method for recovering especially copper from slags, the invention provides that the metal-containing slag is heated in a first furnace (1) constructed as an AC electric furnace or a DC electric furnace, and the melt is introduced from the first furnace (1) into a second furnace (2) which is constructed as a DC electric furnace. Further, the invention is directed to an arrangement for extracting a metal from a slag containing said metal.

Sensors measure magnetic field components, and the measured fields are used to calculate and estimated transverse position of a longitudinal electric current flowing as an electric discharge across a discharge gap. Based on the estimated position, and according to a selected transverse trajectory or distribution of the estimated discharge position, magnetic fields are applied transversely across the discharge gap so as to control or alter the estimated discharge position. Inventive apparatus and methods can be employed, inter alia, during operation of a vacuum arc furnace.

An electrode clamping device is suitable for use in an electrical arc furnace. The clamping device is used releasably to clamp an electrode of an electric arc furnace, and includes at least one elongate tension element configured in use to extend at least partially about a periphery of the electrode of the arc furnace in order for the tension element to define a tensionable loop about the electrode that is adapted to exert a clamping force on the electrode when tensioned. The clamping device also includes a tensioning mechanism including tensioning means adapted to exert a tensile force on end zones of the clamping element so as to tension the tension element, characterized in that the force exerted by the tensioning means is directed in a radial direction relative to the electrode.

A consumable electrode vacuum arc furnace and, more particularly, a direct current consumable electrode vacuum arc furnace is provided, wherein no water cooling is needed to cool down typically neither the electrodes, nor any other parts of the furnace, and this includes the shell, the flanges ports and the electrical connections of the furnace. The present furnace uses non-metallic electrodes, such as graphite electrode, which are suitable for melting metals, smelting of metal ores, and metal oxide to elemental metal where the use of graphite electrodes is a common practice. The present furnace and electrode assemblies render possible to perform a true continuous process of melting and smelting under controlled pressure.

A consumable electrode vacuum arc furnace and, more particularly, a direct current consumable electrode vacuum arc furnace is provided, wherein no water cooling is needed to cool down typically neither the electrodes, nor any other parts of the furnace, and this includes the shell, the flanges ports and the electrical connections of the furnace. The present furnace uses non-metallic electrodes, such as graphite electrode, which are suitable for melting metals, smelting of metal ores, and metal oxide to elemental metal where the use of graphite electrodes is a common practice. The present furnace and electrode assemblies render possible to perform a true continuous process of melting and smelting under controlled pressure.