Estimation of electrode consumption using mast position in electric arc furnace

In order to automate the electrode replacement process, it is necessary to estimate the electrode consumption. Because the electrode controller lowers the electrode according to the electrode consumption, it is possible to estimate the consumption by measuring the position of the electrode. However, due to the structure of the electrode and the electrode arm, it is difficult to measure the electrode position directly. Thus we measured the position of the mast which holds up the electrode arm. In order to determine when to replace the electrode, it is necessary to know the consumption of the electrode per operation. So, we calculated the representative value of the mast position for every operation. Then, we analyzed the changing trend of the representative values of the mast position to estimate the electrode consumption. Also, because the arc length increases about 1 cm when the arc voltage increases 10 V, we modified the representative values and estimated the electrode consumption. The results which were obtained from the analysis of the mast position are in good agreement with the real operation pattern.