#205 - What is iEAF?

In Post #194, we asked the question - What is iBOF? In this post we will discuss iEAF.

To begin, it will be helpful to describe EAF. The acronym stands for Electric Arc Furnace and is used to describe a method of steelmaking that heats the charged material using a powerful electric arc originating from large graphite electrodes.

From Wikipedia: 

An electric arc furnace used for steelmaking consists of a refractory-lined vessel, usually water-cooled in larger sizes, covered with a retractable roof, and through which one or more graphite electrodes enter the furnace. The furnace is primarily split into three sections:

• the shell, which consists of the sidewalls and lower steel "bowl";
• the hearth, which consists of the refractory that lines the lower bowl;
• the roof, which may be refractory-lined or water-cooled, and can be shaped as a section of a sphere, or as a frustum (conical section). The roof also supports the refractory delta in its centre, through which one or more graphite electrodes enter.

The hearth may be hemispherical in shape, or in an eccentric bottom tapping furnace, the hearth has the shape of a halved egg. In modern meltshops, the furnace is often raised off the ground floor, so that ladles and slag pots can easily be maneuvered under either end of the furnace. Separate from the furnace structure is the electrode support and electrical system, and the tilting platform on which the furnace rests. Two configurations are possible: the electrode supports and the roof tilt with the furnace, or are fixed to the raised platform.

iEAF stands for “intelligent Electric Arc Furnace” and is a trademark of Tenova Goodfellow Inc. The iEAF system is a progressive, modular technology package designed to provide sustainable long-term cost savings to steelmakers. The system uses dynamic control and holistic optimization of the EAF process.

iEAF® enabling technology can be applied to all variations of the EAF process including: 

• top charge melting furnaces (bucket and/or shaft) using scrap, DRI and/or pig iron;
• the Consteel® process (iConsteel®) with or without hot metal;
• continuous DRI fed furnaces (iDRI®).

While the basic structure remains constant, the automation hardware, software and communication modules can be customized according to the individual customer’s existing automation system and network.

The iEAF technology package is comprised of well-defined modules which each focus on a specific aspect of the EAF process. 

• MODULE 1 - Dynamic Chemical Energy Control & Optimization (EFSOP)
• MODULE 2 - Dynamic Melting Control
• MODULE 3 - Dynamic End-Point Control

While the iEAF® can be easily integrated with any existing automation and process control system, the cornerstone and necessary first step in the iEAF® technology program is EFSOP® off-gas analysis; other off-gas analysis methods which cannot provide complete analysis of CO, CO2, H2 and O2 lack a necessary prerequisite for determining an online Mass & Energy Balance which is critical for efficient energy utilization and effective dynamic control of the melting and refining processes.

MAIN BENEFITS

• Dynamic Control & Optimization of the Melting & Refining Process

• Electrical Energy Savings

• Fuel Savings

• Reduced Power-On Time

• Increased Yield

• Reduced Tap Additions

• Electrode, Delta & Refractory Savings

• Reduced Tap-to-Tap Time

• Reduced Emissions

There are other add-on technologies that are available under the iEAF umbrella. We’ll elaborate on those in a future post.

For more information, contact:

Tenova Goodfellow Inc.

6711 Mississauga Road, Suite 200

Mississauga, ON

L5N 2W3 - Canada

Phone +1 905 567 3030

Fax +1 905 567 3899

goodfellow@ca.tenovagroup.com

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