Complex Heat Transfer in a Bath under Arcs of High-Power Arc Steel-Melting Furnaces. Part I. Laws of Thermal Radiation of Gas Volumes and their Rationale for Calculating Heat Transfer in EAFs

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of heat transfer in electric arc furnaces, which showed that heat fluxes incident from arcs on a heating surface comprise 85%–95% of thermal radiation fluxes. The thermal radiation laws of ionized and nonionized gas volumes are stated, according to which the heat transfer in electric arc furnaces is calculated. The experimental and calculated data on the heat fluxes of arc radiation on a heating surface differ by no more than 5%–8%, indicating that the thermal radiation laws of gas volumes correspond to real heat transfer processes in electric arc furnaces. The heat exchange of arcs in an electric arc furnace bath was calculated. When the arcs are completely buried in the recesses of the bath, their slag and heat radiation fluxes are converted in the recesses into convective heat fluxes and heat conduction flows, heating the entire volume of the metal bath and slag.