Analysis of Energy and Process Parameters of Smelting Ferronickel from Oxidized Nickel Ore in Electric Furnaces

This article considers the experience of smelting ferronickel from oxidized nickel ore in electric furnaces from the standpoint of saving energy resources in the carbon thermal process. Variants of basic oxidized nickel ore are shown as well as the main components of conditioning and smelting ferronickel in ore-reducing electric furnaces, followed by purification from sulfur, silicon, chromium, and phosphorus. In addition, the article analyzes energy and process parameters of smelting and running ore-reducing furnaces with a capacity of 50.1 MVA (3 × 16.7 MVA) and active capacity of 26–32 MW in the bath with ore from various deposits, including imported high-grade nickel ore. It is shown that the ferronickel smelted from high-grade ore with a nickel content of more than 2% instead of 0.9–1% contains a much higher share of the main element, that is, 15–25% of Ni. In this case, the daily output and share of recovery to alloy increase, the specific power consumption decreases, and the set of energy and process parameters of smelting ferronickel in the electric furnace is improved.