Electric arc furnaces

Aluminium nitride can also be prepared by heating a mixture of aluminium oxide and carbon in nitrogen in an electric arc furnace ... 

If an excess of magnesium is used, magnesium silicide, Mg2Si, is also produced.) The silicon obtained is a light brown hygroscopic powder. Crystalline or metallic silicon is obtained industrially by the reduction of silica with carbon in an electric arc furnace ... 

FURNACES,ELECTRIC - ARC FURNACES] (Vol 12) egulatory agencies piEGULATORY AGENCIES - POWER GENERATION] (Vol 21) [FURNACES,ELECTRIC - RESISTANCEFURNACES] (Vol 12)... 

Tetrafluoroethylene was first synthesized in 1933 from tetrafluoromethane, CF, in an electric arc furnace (11). Since then, a number of routes have been developed (12—18). Depolymerization of PTFE by heating at ca 600°C is probably the preferred method for obtaining small amounts of 97% pure monomer on a laboratory scale (19,20). Depolymerization products contain highly toxic perfluoroisobutylene and should be handled with care. 

Electrode Use in Electric Arc Furnaces, Iron and Steel Society, Warrendale, Pa., 1986. 

Direct Reduction. Direct reduction processes are distinguished from other ironmaking processes in that iron oxide is converted to metallic iron without melting. Because this product, called direct reduced iron (DRI), is soHd, it is most suitable for melting in an electric arc furnace (EAF) as a substitute for scrap (see Furnaces, electric). The briquetted form of DRI, hot briquetted iron (HBI) is used when the product is to be transported. Briquetting increases density and chemical stabiUty. The predominant direct reduction processes (MIDREX and HyL III) are based on natural gas as a fuel and reductant source. They are economically attractive in regions where natural gas is cheap and abundant, especially if iron ore is available nearby (see Iron BY DIRECT reduction). ... 

Most ferrous scrap is recycled in steelmaking processes by melting the scrap in either a basic oxygen or an electric arc furnace. However, a significant market exists for cast-iron products, which are also made by melting ferrous scrap. In 1991, world production of cast irons was estimated at nearly 3.9 X 10 t at over 14,000 iron foundries (15). 

Allowing DRI to become wet does not necessatily cause it to overheat. When large pdes of DRI are wetted with rain, the corrosion reactions are limited to the outer surface area of the pde and the resultant heat from the corrosion reactions is dissipated into the atmosphere. However, if water penetrates into the pde from the bottom, or if wet DRI is covered with dry DRI, the heat from corrosion reactions can budd up inside the pde to the point where rapid reoxidation begins. Corrosion occurs significantly faster with salt water than with fresh water. DRI saturated with water can cause steam explosions if it is batch charged into an electric arc furnace. 

The demand for DRI varies depending on local market conditions. In industrialized countries, DRI primarily is used as a supplement to scrap for controlling residual elements in electric arc furnace steelmaking. In regions where scrap is scarce, DRI is used as a replacement in production of all grades of steel. In 1993, Latin America produced 9.4 X 10 t (39.3%) of the world s DRI. Middle East/North Africa produced 6.1 X 10 t (25.6%), Asia/Oceania produced 4.4 X 10 t (18.4%), and CIS/Eastem Europe produced 1.7 x 10 t (7.1%). North America produced 1.2 x 10 t (5.0%) Africa, 0.9 x 10 t (3.8%) and Western Europe, 0.2 x 10 t (0.8%) (1). Nearly 79% of the DRI produced is consumed in steel mills adjacent to the DR plants called captive plants. Plants which are designed to sell and ship DRI on the open market are called merchant plants. 

Over 95% of the world s DRI production is consumed in electric arc furnace steelmaking. The remaining 5% is spHt among blast furnaces, oxygen steelmaking, foundries, and ladle metallurgy (qv) faciUties. 

HBI has been successfully melted in cupolas (hot or cold blast), induction furnaces (coreless or channel), and electric arc furnaces. It can be a valuable charge material for ductile and malleable irons as well as steel. It is of particular value in making ductile iron castings because of its very low residual element content. 

In the past, all grades of refined ferromanganese were made by various modifications of multistep silicon reduction processes. Depending on the carbon content desired in the product, a manganese ore and lime mixture was allowed to react with the silicon in silicomanganese or low carbon silicomanganese in an open, electric-arc furnace. The equilibrium reaction is... 

Reduction to Liquid Metal. Reduction to Hquid metal is the most common metal reduction process. It is preferred for metals of moderate melting point and low vapor pressure. Because most metallic compounds are fairly insoluble in molten metals, the separation of the Hquified metal from a sohd residue or from another Hquid phase of different density is usually complete and relatively simple. Because the product is in condensed form, the throughput per unit volume of reactor is high, and the number and si2e of the units is rninimi2ed. The common furnaces for production of Hquid metals are the blast furnace, the reverberatory furnace, the converter, the flash smelting furnace, and the electric-arc furnace (see Furnaces, electric). 

Titanium slag and synthetic mtile are also used as raw materials in the production of titanium whites. Titanium slag results from a metaHurgical process during which iron (qv) is removed from ilmenite by reduction with coke in an electric arc furnace at 1200—1600°C. Under these conditions, iron oxide is reduced to metal, melts, and separates from the formed titanium slag. Titanium slag contains 70—75% Ti02 and only 5—8% iron. 

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