CISDI’s first green electric arc furnace has passed its hot test.

The EAF operated smoothly during the test, which was carried out at a pilot plant in Chengdu at the end of April.

The electrics system performed reliably, with a fast electrode lifting response. Its inclined rail charging system ran smoothly in a streamlined operation from the traversal car to the bottom-opening bin, inclined rail charge car, titling hopper, tooth rake, and discharging.

The CISDI-Green EAF is an innovative, energy-conserving and performance-optimising steelmaking facility.

Its unique features include automatic and enclosed charging, penetrative scrap preheating, cost-competitive dioxin control and digital electrode regulation.

Top-side-chute charging technology has been applied, an effective solution to cold zone problems for charge. The fume temperature control can achieve temperatures in excess of 850 degrees Celsius, a cost-effective technology to keep dioxin emissions in check.

Compared with the energy consumption of a conventional EAF, the new model can save 60 to 100kWh of power per tonne of steel, while increasing the metal yield by between one and three per cent.

China’s National Science and Technology Programme is pushing for inventions which result in greener and more efficient steel production methods and the CISDI-green EAF is setting the targets for low noise, dust and carbon dioxide emissions, reduced maintenance requirements, attenuated grid impact and a world-class performance in electrode regulation and large-current busbar.