Published by The EPRI Center for Materials Production

Submerged Arc Furnaces

Submerged arc furnaces produce
a wide range of metal products by
smelting various minerals
to metal
products. in some processes
a valuable slag or vapor product
arises as well as the metal. This
Techcommentary covers the principal submerged arc processes
in use
today, but is in no way an exhaustive
review of all submerged arc processes. Table1 lists someof the products
made in submerged arc furnaces.
In the submerged arcfumace
electric power heats
the raw rnaterithe energy to reduce
als and provides
the ore to a metallic state. Generally,
carbon serves asthe reducing agent
and fluxes are often added
to facilitate the process. Them m o n
practice is tomix the ore materials,
the reducing agent, and any fluxes
to peoutside of the fumace and then
riodically chargethis mixture (often
the furnace.
called charge mix) into
Although the charge mix
is added
periodically, the reduction reactions
and metal production proceed continuously. The metalis usually allowed
to accumulate until tapping occurs at
appropriate intervals; however, continuous tappingis not uncommon.
The term "submerged arc" is
used because the electrodes are usually buried deepin the furnace burden and the reduction reaction takes
place near the tipof the electrodes.
At the top of the burden
little current
flows between the electrodes
because of thehigh resistivity of the
unmelted charge.As the burden
descends In the furnace the noncarbon portionof the charge beginsto
melt. As the carbon heats. its resistance decreases providing a conductivity path between the electrodes.
This current flow creates the intense
heat needed for the high temperature
and energy required for the reduction
reactions.
Due to the relatively low resistivi-

lndustrialand Agriculfural Technotogiesand Services

ty of most smelting process charge

mixtures, submerged arc furnaces
generally operate at lower secondary
voltages and higher currents than
Steelmaking furnaces. Depending on
the size of the furnace andthe resistivity of the charge mix, the sec-

CMP-109

1) Slagless processes with an arc

between the electrode and the metal
bath.
2) Slag processes-frequently with
a cdte bed formed underthe electrcde. The coke bed floats on me slag
layer and the current passes through

Figurn 1
Submerged Arc Furnace (Open) tor Produc%ngFerrosiihn.
ondary voltage will typically range
between 160 to 280 volts in modern
furnaces. The current can reach
200,OOO amperes in the largest
futnaces. Since changesin the resistance are very slowin submerged arc
furnaces and the processes are continuous, electric controlis much
simpler, and any disturbance to the
electrical distribution network
is
much less severe thanis the case
with typical electric arc furnace steel
production.
The term "submerged arc furnace" does not really describe
all
electric smelting processes because.
in some cases,arcing is to be avoided. Although each smelting process
is unique, most processesfall into
one of three operating modes:

the coke bed and the slag before

reaching the molten metal.
In mese
slag processes arcingIS usually
minimized.

3)slsg resistance processes

where the heat is generated bythe

current passing through a slag layer.
There is no coke bed and no arcing
should occur.
Most submerged arc furnaces use
three-phase ac power with three electrodes arrangedin a conventional
delta configurationin a round furnace, see Figure l . However. there are
some six+lectrode systems used to
produce pig iron. copper-nickel matte,
ferronickel, and forslag cleaning.
The six-electrode furnaces are rectangular, usually with in-line electrodes,
see Figure 2.
TechCornmentary/CMP-l09 1

Self-Baking Electrodes
Mast submerged arc furnaces
that produce ferroalloys usea s e l f baking electrode system. invented
nearly eighty years ago bya team
led by C.W. Snderberg. This system
takes advantage ofthe electric
power used for the process
to bake
the electrode in place.
A series of cylindrical steel
casings welded on
top of each other
forms the electrode column.
Operators periodically add solid
green carbon "paste" blocks to the
top of the column. The paste blocks
melt to form the unbaked electrode
shape. Vertical fins, which are
attached to the casing, carry the
power into thecarbon pasteso that
the paste bakesto a solid carbon
electrode in the casing. As the
process consumes the baked electrode, more electrode is "slipped'
into the furnace.
The self-baking electrode syscost by at
tem reduces electrode
over the purchase of preleast 8%
baked amorphous carbon electrodes. It also allowsUte furnace to
be larger since prebaked electrodes
are limited to55 inches in diameter,
whereas self-baking electrodes can
be as large as72 inches in diameter.

Figurn 2

Slag Resistance Furnace tor Slag Cleaning

bath within a cavity under the

charge mix. see Figure 1.
Ferrosilicon is widely used as a
deoxidizer and alloying element in
the iron andsteel industry. Most
grades of ferrosilicon contain either';
5056 or 750k silicon by weight, commonly referredto as 50% FeSi and
75% Fe8. Silicon metal (usually
99% Si punty) is primarily used as
an alloying elementin aluminum
.
products and as a feedstock for the
productionof silicones.
A mixture of silica (usually
Slagless Processes
quartz or quarzite), coke orcoal, and
wood chips makeup the charge mix.
The Silicon Alloys-Ferrosilicon and
The coal or coke acts as the reducSilicon Metal
ing agent and the wood chips
The most widespreaduse of
improve charge porosity and resissubmerged arc furnacesin the
tiwty. Iron, usuallyin the form of
United States todayIS in the produclight steel scrap, is added for fertion of silicon alloys. In these slagrosilicon production. The raw maieless processes an arc is made
rials are thoroughly mixed,
the metal
between the electrode and
transferred io overhead mix bins.
and thengravw fed '
Table 1
through chutesinto the
Products Commonly Made by Submerged
furnace. Silicon metal
Arc Furnace
and 75% FeSi are typically madein an open
furnace where a stoking
machine spreads the
charge mix afterit drops
from the chutes. The
stoking machine adds
raw matenal asneeded
to correct the charge
Calcium C
a
M
comwsition and stokes
Fenvbumo
the burden to prevent
sintering andto help
mmt * m d j
h-t,&ous
release any gaseous
Pig lrwr with bitrmiumslqor vadium
pressure buildupin the
burden. The reaction to
~OiUmSuim
produce silicon metal
fananiokd
can be summarized as
follows:
CopperMdte
SiO,+ 2C Si + 2CO
C c p p a r - N i i I Matte
However, there are
~

~~

~~

complex side reactions that generate Si0 gas andCO gas which bum
to Si0 and CO ,as they escape the
burden. Successful operations keep
the electrodes deeply buried
so that
the evolvingSi0 gas condenses
withinthemix.The Si0 .fume
which is aerosol in nature exits the
furnace through a hooding system
and collectsin baghouse filters. The
collectedfumeisveryligM (9 to 12
lbMt3). If the fume is pure enough
and handled correctly, it canbe
resold as an additive
to cement,
ceramic, and refractory products.
Figure 1 deptcts an open furnace usedto produce silicon metal.
Note that prebaked amorphous carbon electrodes are used
in this case.
The steel casing used for a self-baking electrode would contaminate
the silicon metal product with iron
as the casingis consumed bythe
process; therefore, setf-baking electrodes are not used when producing
silicon metal.
Silicon metal furnaces typically
range from 10 MW to 25 MW in electric power rating and ferrosilicon
furnaces range from10 to 40 MW in
2 gives typithe United States. Table
cal operating data for sllicon alloys
furnaces.

Slag Processes
Manganese Alloys-Ferromanganese
and Silko-manganese.
Steelmaher use manganese as
a deoxidizer andto counteract the
deleterious effectsof sulfur.
Manganese is also an alloying element sinceit stabilizes austenite.
Manganese is also used
in the production of abrasion-resistant steel
products, such as
"Hadfield type
steels.
TechComrnentary!CMP-l09

sulflde mmerals are separately con-

Table 2
Typical operating data for 75% ferrosillcon
and siltcon metal operations

Submerged arc furnaces produce high-carbon or "standard"

ferromanganese (typically79% Mn
and 7% C) and a silicon-manganeseiron alloy commonly referred
to as
silico-manganese. Silico-manganese typically contains
68 to 72%
Mn. 15 to 23% Si, and 1 to 2% C.
H i g h c a m ferromanganese can be
refined to medium-carbon or lowcarbon ferromanganese in post
tapping processes.
Manganese ores, which usually
contain iron oxides, are mixed with
coal or coke reductant, and usually a
small quantity of fluxes to form the
charge mix. Silico-manganeseis
carproduced by reprocessing high
bon ferromanganese by-product
slag and smelting cheaper high
silicon-manganese ores.
Modern ferromanganesefurnaces have a closed roof designed
to prevent ambient air from mixing
with the process off-gas. The off-gas
contains 65 to 70%. CO and canbe
used as fuel for other plant prccesses suchas raw material drying.
The raw materials are premtxed
and then transported to overhead
mix bins. From the overhead mix
bins themix drops through chutes
which distribute the mix around the
electrodes. TheCO gas producedin
the reactionzone pre-reduces the
higher manganese oxide forms
to
MnO; however, gas reductionof
MnO is impossible. The electric
current passes through
the coke bed
and the slag layer and a reaction
between the solid carbon reductant
and the MnO occurs
in the slag.
The coke layer minimizes arcing
between me electrode and the
slag bath.
In order to reduce manganese
volatilization, ferromanganese producers operate at as low a temperature as possible while
still keeping
the slag fluid. The lower tempera-

ture limitsthe amount of MnO

reducbon; therefore, the slag may
contain up to45% MnO and canbe
used as a raw material for the production of silico-manganese, manganese chemicals. or electrotytic
manganese.
The electric resistance of the fer-,
romanganese mixis lower thanit is
for silicon alloys; therefore, ferromanganese furnaces operate at
lower voltages and higher currents.
Table 3 gives typical operating data
for manganese alloys furnaces.

Slag Resistance Furnaces

Matte Smelting
The treatment of copper and
nickel sulfidesto produce coppernickel matte or copper matte
is
often donein an electric furnace. In
the matte smelting operation, the

centrated and readied for separation

Into mane (a moltensolutm of
copper. nlckel, iron. and sulfur)
and slag.
The smelting processis carried
out using electric resistance heating
of the slag. Arcing isto be avoided.
Thus, the term slag resistance furnace is applied to
th~stype of
process. The solid concentrate
charge floats onthe slag and gradually melts into the slag.
The slag is tn
constant motion dueto the passage
of the electric current.In addiion to
providing resistance heating, the
slag serves as means for discarding
some of the iron and gangue. The
matte particles sinkto the bottomof
the furnaceto form a liquid metal
pool. This type of smelting is usually
carried out tn a rectangular furnace
wth six electrodes. See Figure 2.
Slag CleaningFurnaces
Slag cleaning furnaces are used
in conjunction with the flash
smelting of copper and nickelconcentrates. In the most widely used
flash smelting process a mixture of
concentrate and flux is suspended in
a stream of preheated air and then
of
fired down a shaft. Droplets
molten matte and slag
colect at the
bottom of the shaft. Due
to the
rapidity of the matte formation the
slag still contains magnetii (Fe
:O,)
and an excess of copper and nickel,
some in an oxidized form. Depending onthe grade of the matte, the
be
copper and nickel contents can
as high as1.5% which may be

Table 3
Typical operatingdata for ferrornanganese and
silico-manganese operations

TechCommentav/CMP-l09 3

as hlgh as their values in the

orlglnal ore.
The molten slag from the flash
smelter IS transferted to a slag
cleaning furnace where It undergoes
a secondary smelting operation.
Coke breezeIS added to reduce the
Fe,O,to FeO. and allow separation
from the copper and nickel. Dunng
the settling timein the furnace the
matte preclpitates from the slag into
the matte bath under the slag. By
using this procedure
75 to 80% of
in
the copper and nickel contained
the slag can
be recovered in the
form of matte. Theslag cleaning furnace also processes solid revert and
converter slags which can contain
up to 5 to 6% Cu and Ni. For this furnace, the coke additionis about 2%
of the liquid slag treated, and the
energy consumedis 90 to 135
kWhiton of liquid slag. Additional
energy is required if solid revert
is used.

New Developments

clal usage: however. there has been

some prcrntslng work doneIn the
pilot scale.DC furnaces ate often
consideledfor use In combinatlon
with hollow-electrode systems.
Fine material is Injected mrough
the electrodeso that it can be used
without a costly agglomeration step.
This promisesto increase me metal
yleld from the ore and from the
reprocessed slags as fine material
is
generally a waste product today.
Rapid advances are also being
sysmade with self-baking electrode
tems for silicon metal furnaces. The
traditional SBderberg electrodeis
not suitable for silicon metal prowould
dudon since the steel casing
melt into the charge mix and
increase the iron content
of the silicon metal. Significant strides have
been made with a self-baking electrode system where the electrode
paste bakes onto a center core
of
graphfie material. The steel casing
is nonconsumable; therefore,iron
contamination is avoided.

To date, direct current (de) smelting furnaces have limited cwnmer-

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This TedrComrnentay was wrilten by

Dr. Frank Fereday. Consultant.Technical
revlew was orovidedby B o b Schmitt and
Joe Gbodwill. CMP.Edited by John Kollar.

Key Words: Submerged Arc, Smelting,

Silicon Alloys
Applicable SIC Codes: 2819,3313,3331,
3339,3559

CMP.
For additional copies
of this
Te&Cmmentay call ECAC
AMP.

1-800-4320-

81996 Electnc Power Research Institvte.

Primed
7/96
Inc. All rigks reserved.

TechCommentary/CMP-l09~GlO6672 4