CIVS Receives HPC4Mfg Supercomputing Grant in Electric Arc Furnace Project

NLMK USA, PNW CIVS and Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) received a DOE HPC4Mfg Supercomputing grant for the project entitled “Optimization of Scrap Melting Using an Electric Arc in Steel Manufacturing”.  The project objectives are 1) to simulate scrap melting using electric arc in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), 2) to evaluate combinations of scrap layering and electrode power profile for optimum scrap melting, and 3) to use high-performing commutating (HPC) simulation results and industrial data to perform parametric analysis for the generation of operational strategies for the industry. HPC can allow more efficient computational evaluation for multiple scenarios within a shorter time to design the optimal furnace operation scheme. This work will leverage CIVS & SMSVC capabilities on simulation and visualization and ORNL’s expertise in multivariable sensitivity analysis, modelling and controls for complex and energy intensive processes.

Around 67% of crude steel in the U.S is produced in electric arc furnaces (EAF) which consume about 8.6×107 MMBtu/year of electricity. One of the major challenges for EAFs includes maximizing the utilization of the input electrical energy to melt various scrap mixes efficiently.  This project has the potential to save $130 million/year on energy usage with improved EAF productivity.