Characteristics of Electric Arc Furnace For Copper

Electric arc furnace for copper is a metallurgical equipment that uses electric arc to melt copper raw materials at high temperature. It mainly melts copper by energizing graphite electrodes to generate electric arcs.

This technology is mainly used to melt cathode copper and maintain metal flow. Electric arc furnaces is a melting furnace that uses electric arc to heat materials. It is mainly used for smelting, refining and recycling of copper and copper alloys.

Characteristics of Electric Arc Furnace For Copper

1. High temperature & high efficiency

High arc temperature: The arc center temperature can reach more than 3000℃, which can quickly melt copper (copper melting point is 1083℃), especially suitable for processing high melting point metals or alloys.

High thermal efficiency: Electric energy is directly converted into thermal energy, energy is concentrated, heat loss is small, melting speed is fast, and production efficiency is high.

2. Strong adaptability of raw materials

Compatible with a variety of raw materials: It can process electrolytic copper, scrap copper (such as copper wire, copper scraps), copper alloys, etc., especially suitable for recycling scrap copper materials.

Flexible ratio: Copper alloys of different compositions (such as bronze and brass) can be produced by adjusting the ratio of furnace charge.

3. Superior controllability

Precise temperature control: The temperature in the copper smelting furnace can be precisely controlled by adjusting the current and voltage to meet the process requirements of copper refining or alloying.

Controllable atmosphere: Inert gas (such as nitrogen) or reducing gas (such as natural gas) can be introduced to prevent oxidation and reduce copper liquid inhalation (such as hydrogen and oxygen).

4. Environmental protection & energy consumption characteristics

EAF has low emissions (relative to traditional processes):

Compared with reverberatory furnaces or blast furnaces, there is no fuel combustion process, which reduces sulfur oxides (SOₓ) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) emissions.

The amount of smoke is small, and dust removal equipment (such as bag dust removal) can meet emission standards.

High energy consumption: Dependent on electricity, the cost may be higher in areas with high electricity prices, but the energy consumption of scrap copper recycling and smelting is lower than that of primary copper smelting.

5. Equipment & operation characteristics

Various furnace types: Commonly used are three-phase AC electric arc furnaces or DC arc furnaces, and the arc furnace body can be tilted to facilitate copper discharge.

High degree of automation: Modern copper smelting furnace is mostly equipped with computer control systems to achieve automatic feeding, temperature monitoring and power regulation.

Furnace lining life: The furnace lining needs to be made of refractory materials (such as magnesia-chrome bricks) that are resistant to high temperatures and copper liquid corrosion, and the cost of regular maintenance is high.

6. Application scenarios

Scrap copper recycling: The economic benefits of treating copper-containing waste are significant, and it is suitable for the recycled copper industry.

Alloy production: High-end copper alloys (such as copper-nickel alloys and copper-chromium alloys) that require precise control of composition are often smelted in EAF.

Small-scale flexible production: Suitable for small and medium-sized batches and multi-variety production, more flexible than large-scale continuous smelting equipment.

Limitations

Power dependence: Electric arc furnace for copper have high requirements for grid stability, and power outages may cause copper liquid to solidify.

Large initial investment: The cost of electric furnace equipment and supporting power facilities is high.

Impurity treatment: High-impurity scrap copper requires pretreatment (such as paint stripping and iron removal), or subsequent refining (such as redox refining).

Copper smelting furnace are known for their high efficiency, flexibility and environmental protection. They are particularly suitable for the production of recycled copper and high-end copper alloys, but the electricity consumption cost and process requirements need to be weighed.