Electric Induction Furnace VS Electric Arc Furnace

Electric induction furnace vs electric arc furnace: the induction furnace relies on the principle of induction heating to melt the metal charge, and there will be no carburization of molten steel. Electric arc furnaces rely on graphite electrodes to heat the charge through an electric arc.

With the improvement of steel production, a large amount of scrap steel has also been produced in the society, which provides conditions for electric furnace steelmaking in cast steel production. As an electric furnace that uses electricity as heat energy, it can be divided into two categories, one is the electric arc furnace, which melts scrap steel with heat generated by an arc, and the other is an induction furnace, which melts scrap steel with heat generated by electromagnetic induction, and no steel is produced. Liquid carburization. Especially represented by medium frequency induction furnace.

Before the 1990s, electric arc furnaces were widely used. At that time, there were few high-quality steel scraps, and most of them were mixed with good and bad, and it was difficult to sort them. The electric arc furnace technology was developed earlier and has a large capacity, while the development of the intermediate frequency melting furnace technology is not yet mature.

After the 1990s, intermediate frequency electric furnaces were mostly used in steel foundries, especially in developed capitalist countries, where electric arc furnaces were not allowed, and intermediate frequency furnaces were commonly used. With the improvement of energy saving and environmental protection requirements, intermediate frequency technology has been greatly developed, and intermediate frequency induction furnaces are also widely used by major steel mills.

Features

The induction furnace steelmaking process is relatively simple, and the quality of molten steel can also be guaranteed. Many factories use induction furnace steelmaking to pour small castings, especially investment casting workshops, which widely use induction furnaces to melt molten steel.

With the development of production and science and technology, DC electric arc furnaces, HANI induction furnaces, refining equipment outside the furnace and new steelmaking methods continue to appear, and the quality of molten steel smelted is greatly improved, and the quality of castings is greatly improved.

Electric induction furnace vs electric arc furnace, which are commonly used in steel casting workshops, have relatively loose requirements on raw materials, and the quality of molten steel produced is high, and the steelmaking cycle is suitable for the characteristics of cast steel production. It is more convenient to start and stop the furnace. It’s easy to coordinate with the progress of molding, box closing and other processes, and it is convenient to organize production. In addition, the equipment for electric furnace steelmaking is relatively simple, with less investment, faster infrastructure construction and faster capital recovery.

Hani Metallurgy ( Xi’an Hani Tech Co., Ltd. ) is one of the large-scale domestic smelting furnace manufacturers. The main products are medium frequency induction furnace, electric arc furnace, melting furnace, ladle furnace and other induction heating equipment. Mainly used for smelting or heating steel, copper, aluminum, zinc, tin, gold and silver and other metals. Secondly, it is used in casting smelting, forging, sintering, diathermy treatment before bending pipe forming, and induction heating of mechanical parts and components.

Electric induction furnace vs electric arc furnace advantages

Induction furnace

Fast heating speed, high equipment productivity and less oxidation loss;

Local heating can be realized;

Easy to realize mechanization and automation;

No smoke and dust, good working conditions.

Applicable to: heating before metal melting, smelting, forging and rolling, surface quenching of machining workpieces.

Electric arc furnace

The electric arc furnace uses the high temperature generated by the electrode arc to smelt ores and metals.

For smelting metals, electric arc furnaces have greater process flexibility than other steelmaking furnaces, can effectively remove impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus, are easy to control the furnace temperature, and have a small equipment footprint, making them suitable for smelting high-quality alloy steel.

The Difference

Intermediate frequency induction furnaces are widely used by more customers, so let’s first understand the difference Electric induction furnace vs electric arc furnace.

1.Electric arc furnace:

It is large in size, generally more than 3 tons. It is only used by enterprises with a certain scale. The steel produced by it is relatively pure.

Intermediate frequency induction furnace:

Compared with electric arc furnace, the cost of steelmaking is lower, and it is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The steel produced has many impurities and high carbon content, so the steel produced is impure.

2.The electric arc furnace uses power frequency electricity; the induction furnace uses intermediate frequency electricity.

3.The thermal efficiency of the electric arc furnace is low, the productivity is low, the operation is cumbersome, and the energy consumption is high.

The intermediate frequency furnace has high efficiency and high thermal efficiency, so as to achieve high production efficiency, flexible operation and low energy consumption.

4.The heating methods of the two are different, the generated temperature is different, and the efficiency is different.

The electric arc furnace uses power frequency electricity; the intermediate frequency furnace uses intermediate frequency electricity.

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