MODELING OF FLUID-FLOW AND HEAT-TRANSFER IN THE PLASMA REGION OF THE DC ELECTRIC-ARC FURNACE

A mathematical model describing the transport processes in the plasma are in de electric are furnaces has been developed. The equations of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy are solved numerically in conjunction with Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field to calculate the velocity and temperature distributions in the plasma region. The heat transfer from the are to a rigid anode surface is calculated. The model is applied to obtain quantitative results on the relative importance of the various modes of heat transfer from the electric are to the anode surface. Computational results were obtained for varying are current magnitudes and anode-cathode distances. The model predicts higher are jet velocity and a broader are core at higher are current. The shorter are length is more efficient for transferring heat to the anode.