Chapter 2.4.5 - Modeling of Ferroalloy Production Processes

Abstract

Modeling of different parts of Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF) used in ferroalloy production has been examined, and the summary showed that both 2D and 3D simulations help to improve the process for ferroalloys production. Because of the complexity of feed structure and electrical-thermal-chemical interactions, there exist large gradients and wide distributions of temperature, mineralogy, and other process variables in the furnace. This usually leads to various zones in the furnace and different reduction mechanisms. Control of the furnace is thus often difficult due to the complicated physical and chemical situations in the furnace. The temperature profile in the submerged arc furnace has a great influence on the reduction rate and the production efficiency. Therefore the energy generation through electrical arcs submerged in the solid feed and its distribution within the packed bed play an important role. However, most of the developed models lack verification from the industry, which needs to be improved in future. Modeling of electrodes and lining of SAF leads to a better understanding of what is happening inside the furnace, decreasing the breaking of electrodes and prolonging the lifetime of lining. Modeling of converters for ferroalloy refining—Creusot Loire Uddeholm (CLU) by cold models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) showed useful results in terms of mass transfer coefficients, mixing times, and plume characteristics.