Evaluating the electromagnetic forces on the electric arc furnaces’ power cables under various operation conditions

Abstract

Studies of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical stresses on power cables have received much attention in recent years. However, there is a research gap in studying the electromagnetic forces of the power cables of electric arc furnaces (EAFs). The challenges of studying the EAF's power cable are highlighted because of the special cyclic operations, inrush currents, current harmonics, and short circuit faults of the EAF. The electromagnetic forces are influenced by the magnitude current and behavior of the current passing through the cable. The main purpose of this paper is to respond to a research gap about studying the electromagnetic forces of EAF's power cables under different normal and abnormal conditions. The proposed study is implemented in the COMSOL Multiphysics environment. Test results of applying the proposed method to an actual test system highlight the advantages of the proposed study. Simulation results imply that current harmonics, particularly the 7th harmonic order, intensify the electromagnetic forces. Test results emphasize the impacts of short circuit currents on the induced electromagnetic force. Furthermore, test results show that although cable clips limit the cable movement, internal von Mises cable stress increase due to the deployment of cable clips.