Research Paper on EAF Arc Melting – Published in Frontiers in Materials Journal

Yuchao Chen, a CIVS Ph.D. student, recently published his full-length research paper entitled “Multi-Physics Modeling of Steel Ingot Melting by Electric Arc Plasma and its Application to Electric Arc Furnace” in the journal “Frontiers in Materials.” The ongoing research is funded by Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC) members and is aimed to provide the detailed fundamental investigation of the arc melting using numerical models and contributing to the field of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking.

The present research established a numerical model coupling the electric arc plasma, solid melting, and liquid flow together to simulate the steel ingot melting process using the electric arc. The direct current electric arc behavioral characteristics with varying arc length generated by the moving electrode were analyzed based on the validated model. The effects of both the initial arc length and the dynamic electrode movement on the steel ingot melting efficiency were studied. A potential method was also proposed to apply the established model in simulating the EAF scrap melting.