<b>Some myths about DC arc furnaces
</b><br>
RT Jones, QG Reynolds, TR Curr, D Sager
<br><br>
DC arc furnaces are widely used for steel scrap melting as well as for
reductive smelting of ore fines. Industrial smelting applications
include the smelting of chromite to produce ferrochromium, the
smelting of ilmenite to produce titania slag and pig iron, and the
recovery of cobalt from nonferrous smelter slags. A number of
myths and misconceptions are widely held, especially regarding: the
age of the technology, the use of a hollow electrode, arc stability
and shape, arc and bath radiation, interaction between the arc and
molten slag, electrical behaviour of arcs and slags, a comparison
between AC and DC furnaces, DC reactors, the lifespan of bottom
electrodes, and the applicability of DC arc furnaces to various
metallurgical systems.<br>
Keywords: pyrometallurgy, DC arc furnace, myths, history, hollow electrode,
radiation, resistance, flicker, AC.