Mathematical Modelling for Monitoring the Deterioration in the Bottom Lining of the Top-Closed Submerged Electric Furnace. (Case Study)

The objective of the present paper is to give a mathematical model simulating the heat transfer problem of the bottom refractory lining of a top-closed submerged electric arc furnace and to use this model to predict the deterioration of the lining. The problem is considered in one dimension and the furnace is simulated by a finite number of superposed infinite plates of uniform thicknesses and different temperature-dependent thermal conductivities. The working layer is exposed to the melt metal temperature and the external layer is subject to a cooling ventilation under a given ambient temperature. The influence of the variation of the operating parameters is studied and analyzed. The calculated results were compared with the measured results of a case study, obtained from the observations of the bottom lining deterioration of the submerged Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) used for the production of ferromanganese alloys at Sinai Manganese Company in Egypt during the period from 1993 to 2000. A satisfactory agreement has been obtained between our theoretical results and the measured ones.