In the field of non-ferrous metal smelting, electric arc furnace as the core smelting equipment is
experiencing the deep baptism of intelligent change. This traditional equipment utilizing electrode
arc to generate high temperature melting metal, through the integration of Internet of Things,
artificial intelligence and advanced control technology, is breaking through the efficiency
bottleneck and energy consumption ceiling, opening a new era of green smelting. In this paper,
we will analyze the intelligent transformation of the electric arc furnace process to bring five
core values, revealing the logic of industrial change behind the technological upgrading.
Precise energy regulation breakthrough thermal efficiency limit
The traditional electric arc furnace generally exists thermal efficiency utilization rate of less than 65% of
the pain point. The intelligent electrode control system dynamically adjusts the electrode lift and current
parameters through real-time monitoring of the arc pattern and temperature field distribution in the
furnace, and the use of deep learning algorithms to optimize the arc length calculation 3,000 times
per second. After the application in a copper smelting project, the power consumption was reduced
by 22%, the melting cycle was shortened by 18%, and the comprehensive energy consumption of
a single ton of metal liquid was reduced to less than 580kWh. The synergistic effect of infrared thermal
imaging module and electromagnetic field sensor improves the temperature uniformity of the furnace
by 40%, effectively solving the problem of furnace lining loss caused by local overheating.
Intelligent Charging System Reconstructs Production Rhythm
The automatic charging device equipped with 3D scanning and material recognition function can
accurately analyze the size, composition and stacking pattern of raw materials. The central control
system dynamically optimizes the feeding sequence and proportioning strategy of scrap, alloy and
flux according to the melting pool state prediction model. Actual operation data shows that the
metal yield has increased by 3.2 percentage points and the elemental burnout rate has dropped
to less than 0.8%. The load cell embedded in the bottom of the material basket cooperates with
the visual positioning system to realize ±5kg feeding precision control, completely eliminating
the random error of manual operation.
Digital twin platform empowers process optimization
The virtual melting system built based on the physics engine can synchronously map the thermodynamic
state of the real furnace. Process engineers can complete process verification in digital space by
adjusting 128 parameters such as power supply curve and material ratio of the virtual furnace.
After an aluminum group applied the technology, the development cycle of new alloys was
compressed from 45 days to 12 days, and the cost of trial production was reduced by 70%.
Abnormal working condition simulation function can warn the risk of furnace lining erosion
72 hours in advance, reducing unplanned downtime by 65%.
Closed-loop environmental protection system realizes
ultra-low emissions
Intelligent dust removal device and flue gas analyzer constitute a dynamic governance network,
which can track the concentration of 12 types of pollutants such as PM2.5 and sulfur dioxide in
real time. When the emission value is close to the threshold, the control system automatically
activates the standby dust removal unit and adjusts the power of the induced draft fan to ensure
that the emission indexes are stably better than the national standard by more than 30%. The
supporting waste heat recovery module converts the heat energy of flue gas above 400℃ into
steam energy, making the comprehensive energy utilization rate exceed 85%. After the
application of a renewable lead project, the annual carbon emission is reduced by 12,000
tons, and the environmental protection operation and maintenance cost is reduced by 40%.
Stable operation guaranteed by all-element IOT architecture
The 387 intelligent sensors deployed in the key nodes build up the equipment health monitoring
network. The vibration spectrum analysis system can predict the electrode column bearing failure
48 hours in advance, and the temperature sensing fiber optic accurately locates the hot spot area
of the furnace. The edge computing gateway processes equipment data in milliseconds, increasing
the accuracy of fault diagnosis to 98%. After a zinc smelting enterprise accessed the intelligent
operation and maintenance platform, the comprehensive efficiency of equipment (OEE) was
increased from 78% to 92%, and the annual maintenance cost was saved 2.6 million yuan.
At present, intelligent electric arc furnace technology is triggering a fundamental change in the smelting
model. Through the construction of “perception - analysis - decision-making - implementation” of the
intelligent closed loop, the traditional equipment has evolved into a self-learning ability of “metal
smelting robot”. Industry data show that the completion of intelligent transformation of the electric
arc furnace production line, its unit capacity return on investment than the traditional production
line to improve 45%, product defective rate control at 0.15% or less. With the deep integration of
digital Li Sheng and 5G private network technology, the future of electric arc furnace will realize
cross-region multi-furnace synergistic optimization, promote the industry to network manufacturing leap.
For non-ferrous metal enterprises, electric arc furnace intelligence is no longer a choice but a
must-answer question. This transformation not only brings direct economic benefits, but also
through the continuous accumulation of process data assets, for enterprises to build a digital
base for high-end alloy research and development. When the intelligent control system is
deeply coupled with the clean energy system, the traditional high energy consumption and
high emission smelting scene is being transformed into a low-carbon cycle of precision
manufacturing units, injecting new kinetic energy for the industry's high-quality development.