OPERATING METHOD FOR ARC FURNACE

PURPOSE:To reduce consumption of electric power and electrodes by circulating arc furnaces having auxiliary burners through the 1st station for furnace repairing, material charging and material preheating, 2nd station for heating of the charging materials by fuel and 3rd station for melt refining. CONSTITUTION:Three units of the arc furnaces 1 having auxiliary burners 9 for which fuel is used are successively subjected to the repair of in-furnace refractories, etc., charging of raw materials such as scrap into the furnaces in the 1st station I, and preheating of the charging raw materials by the high- temp. waste gas 11 emitted from the furnace in the 3rd station III. The furnaces 1 are then moved to the 2nd station II where the charging raw materials are heated by the combustion heat of heavy oil, etc., by the auxiliary burners 9. The waste gas 12 thereof is utilized for preheating in the 1st station. The arc furnaces are moved to the 3rd station III where the electrodes 5 are hung in the furnaces and the materials are refined to a molten steel by arc melting. The molten steel is taken into a ladle 8. The empty arc furnaces are again moved to the 1st station and are thus cyclically operated. Since the raw materials are preheated by the waste gas, heavy oil, etc., the consumption of the electric power and electrodes is low and the steel is refined at a low cost.