A comparison of electric smelting on pilot and industrial scale

The paper compares operational parameters for the electric reduction smelting of pig iron and ferroalloys in pilot and industrial furnaces. Data from two pilot furnaces of approximately 200 and 500 kW operating-load capacity, as well as from several production furnaces, are included. Examples are given for the smelting of pig iron, ferronickel, ferromanganese, ferrochromium, and ferrosilicon. In most instances, the results from the pilot furnaces, such as the values for consumption and product analyses, corresponded fairly well with comparable data from the industrial furnaces. For ferrosilicon, the power consumption in the pilot furnace was higher than that in the industrial furnace.