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L. Ren et al.
(1) Multiple equipment and massive investment: typical iron and steel plants have
an annual production capacity of over 4 Mt;
(2) Better endpoint control: the reaction of slag and steel is closer to the balance
point than electric furnace;
(3) Long process features better purity and quality stability of hot steel: basic oxygen
furnace with secondary refining ensures better performance, higher production
rate and acceptable purity. This approach is mainly suitable for steel varieties of
low carbon/ultra-low carbon and low residual elements, especially steel products
in large quantities and lower alloy content;
(4) Larger output and faster production;
(5) Higher energy consumption and multiple sources of pollution: the massive
energy consumed in the steelmaking process mainly comes from the chemical
reaction between oxygen and elements prone to oxidation in the steel;
(6) Lack of flexibility of the technical process: dependent on fossil fuels, unable
to activate/deactivate instantly, not suitable for alloy of high melting point in
small and medium scale production such as high alloy steel, alloy tool steel,
refractory ferrotungsten, etc.
Short process steelmaking with electric arc furnace.
With EAF at the core, short process starts with iron and steel scraps with less
production procedures. Steelmaking with EAF is an approach that uses the electric arc thermal effect for metal smelting, especially high alloy steel, with steel
scrap or iron from other sources as the feed. The production procedures of short
process include: recycling of steel scrap—crushing, dressing and pre-treatment—
steelmaking by electric arc furnace—secondary refining—various casting blanks
from casting—rolling.
Compared to typical long process technical routine, short process approach skips
sintering (pelletizing), coking and BF ironmaking, all of which contribute significantly to energy consumption, pollution and CO 2 emission. This approach reduces
raw material and energy consumption and pollutant emissions by heaps and bounds,
as illustrated in Fig. 7.4. Short process steelmaking has the following features:
(1) Less complicated equipment, shorter cycle of infrastructure construction and
investment returns;
(2) EAF is essentially high-temperature steelmaking which is able to eliminate
hazardous gases and inclusive while enabling deoxidation and desulfurization,
hence capable of producing special steel of high quality;
(3) High industrial adaptability allowing intermittent production, with a specialized production system featuring automation, mechanization and low energy
consumption, making it more competitive;
(4) Less heat loss and higher efficiency;
(5) Enjoying more benefits from clean power as electricity is the main energy source,
making further carbon emission reduction an easier task;
(6) Temperature control remains a challenge, resulting in quality variation within
finished products.
L. Ren et al.
(1) Multiple equipment and massive investment: typical iron and steel plants have
an annual production capacity of over 4 Mt;
(2) Better endpoint control: the reaction of slag and steel is closer to the balance
point than electric furnace;
(3) Long process features better purity and quality stability of hot steel: basic oxygen
furnace with secondary refining ensures better performance, higher production
rate and acceptable purity. This approach is mainly suitable for steel varieties of
low carbon/ultra-low carbon and low residual elements, especially steel products
in large quantities and lower alloy content;
(4) Larger output and faster production;
(5) Higher energy consumption and multiple sources of pollution: the massive
energy consumed in the steelmaking process mainly comes from the chemical
reaction between oxygen and elements prone to oxidation in the steel;
(6) Lack of flexibility of the technical process: dependent on fossil fuels, unable
to activate/deactivate instantly, not suitable for alloy of high melting point in
small and medium scale production such as high alloy steel, alloy tool steel,
refractory ferrotungsten, etc.
Short process steelmaking with electric arc furnace.
With EAF at the core, short process starts with iron and steel scraps with less
production procedures. Steelmaking with EAF is an approach that uses the electric arc thermal effect for metal smelting, especially high alloy steel, with steel
scrap or iron from other sources as the feed. The production procedures of short
process include: recycling of steel scrap—crushing, dressing and pre-treatment—
steelmaking by electric arc furnace—secondary refining—various casting blanks
from casting—rolling.
Compared to typical long process technical routine, short process approach skips
sintering (pelletizing), coking and BF ironmaking, all of which contribute significantly to energy consumption, pollution and CO 2 emission. This approach reduces
raw material and energy consumption and pollutant emissions by heaps and bounds,
as illustrated in Fig. 7.4. Short process steelmaking has the following features:
(1) Less complicated equipment, shorter cycle of infrastructure construction and
investment returns;
(2) EAF is essentially high-temperature steelmaking which is able to eliminate
hazardous gases and inclusive while enabling deoxidation and desulfurization,
hence capable of producing special steel of high quality;
(3) High industrial adaptability allowing intermittent production, with a specialized production system featuring automation, mechanization and low energy
consumption, making it more competitive;
(4) Less heat loss and higher efficiency;
(5) Enjoying more benefits from clean power as electricity is the main energy source,
making further carbon emission reduction an easier task;
(6) Temperature control remains a challenge, resulting in quality variation within
finished products.