Electric arc furnace for continuous melting of directly reduced iron or directly reduced iron ore

A direct-heat arc furnace for the continuous melting of directly reduced iron or directly reduced iron ore and continuous tapping of resulting molten iron, said furnace comprising:

• a furnace body which has a rectangular or elliptical shape in its horizontal section;
• a plurality of electrodes which are fixed in position above the furnace body so that the tips of the electrodes face the surface of the charged stock in the furnace;
• means for causing a horizontal movement of the furnace body continuously and reciprocally in its major axis direction;
• a tapping port which is secured projectingly to one end of the furnace body in the major axis direction of the furnace body;
• and
• a tundish which is disposed below the tapping port spaced apart from the furnace body so as to receive the resulting molten iron;
• said continuous and reciprocal movement of the furnace body serving to broaden the area within which to melt the continuously charged stock of the reduced iron or reduced iron ore and render the heat distribution within the furnace uniform, and said position of the tapping port permitting the moving distance of the tapping port to be equal to the maximum distance of the movement of the electrodes relative to the surface of the charged stock.

A direct-heat arc furnace for the continuous melting of directly reduced iron or directly reduced iron ore and continuous tapping of resulting molten iron, said furnace comprising:

• a furnace body which has a rectangular or elliptical shape in its horizontal section and the cross section of the furnace bottom in a plane perpendicular to the minor axis of the furnace body has a shape of an isosceles triangle;
• a plurality of electrodes which are fixed in position above the furnace body so that the tips of the electrodes face the surface of the charged stock in the furnace;
• means for causing a continuous seesaw-like oscillatory movement of the furnace body in its major axis direction about a point on the bisecting line of the vertical angle of said triangle at the center of the furnace as a central axis;
• a tapping port which is secured projectingly to the central part of the furnace wall in the minor axis direction;
• and
• a tundish which is disposed below the tapping port spaced apart from the furnace body so as to receive the resulting molten iron;
• said continuous seesaw-like oscillatory movement of the furnace body serving to broaden the area within which to melt the continuously charged stock of the reduced iron or reduced iron ore and render the heat distribution within the furnace uniform, and said position of the tapping port permitting the moving distance of the tapping port to be smaller than the maximum distance of the movement of the electrodes relative to the surface of the charged stock.