CISDI-AutoARC breaks new ground
Source: CISDI
A 75-tonne green, highly-efficient electric arc furnace and a ladle furnace have been successfully hot tested at Dugang in China’s Sichuan Province.
It features CISDI-AutoARC, which was awarded second place in China’s 2019 national S&T advances.
All systems are running stably, taking Dugang’s demo Mini-mill plant into pilot production.
The Mini-mill, with EAF scrap melting at its core, consumes a third of the energy required at an integrated plant reliant on a blast furnace plus basic oxygen furnace, and produces only a third of the emissions.
EAF-based Mini-mills and the development of greener EAF products have now become a leading trend in the steel sector.
In response to longstanding problems in EAF production – namely the low utilisation ratio of electric energy, oxygen and carbon powder, the high consumption of electrodes and slagging materials, and dioxin pollution - CISDI and its partners have made major breakthroughs in critical process, equipment and control.
CISDI-AutoARC’s application at Dugang features:
- CISDI-DMI-AC digital electrode regulation system for the EAF and the LF
- CISDI-SCDF stepwise continuous feeding, enabling scrap’s travel speed to reach 7.8 metres per minute
- High-temperature fume’s excess heat recovery for power generation, which is under construction.
These green, high-efficiency and low-consumption core technologies have helped Dugang achieve higher quality production, a wider variety of products and substantial cost savings.
CISDI’s teamwork ensured all equipment installation and commissioning tasks were carried out on time, despite issues caused by the pandemic.
Dugang’s Mini-mill plays a vital role in the transformation of its holding company, Sichuan Metallurgical Group, to green, smart and super-efficient levels.
The CISDI-AutoARC in operation at Dugang
Dugang’s green, efficient electric arc furnace carries out tapping
A liquid steel ladle tapped from the CISDI-AutoARC is ready for transportation to the LF for refining
The CISDI-AutoARC with scrap charging at Dugang
