Modeling and control of an electric arc furnace

Electric arc furnace (EAFs) are widely used in steelmaking and in smelting of nonferrous metals. The EAF is the central process of the so-called mini-mills, which produce steel mainly from scrap. The power level is directly related to production throughput, so it is important to control the EAF at the highest possible average power with a low variance to avoid breaker trips under current surge conditions. For efficient power control, good dynamic models EAFs are required. This paper solves the electrical circuit of an EAF with a floating neutral, proposes a dynamic model for the EAF, and investigates simple proportional electrode current and power control.