Nowadays, there are two kinds of equipment used by enterprises to smelt metal, namely electric arc furnace and medium frequency induction furnace. Electric arc furnace has large volume and high equipment investment, so only enterprises with a certain scale use electric arc furnace. The cost of induction furnace is relatively low for small and medium-sized enterprises.

1. Application field

Electric arc furnace is an electric furnace for smelting ore and metal at high temperature produced by electrode arc. For smelting metal, the electric arc furnace has greater process flexibility than other steelmaking furnaces, can effectively remove impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus, the furnace temperature is easy to control, and the equipment covers a small area, which is suitable for smelting high-quality alloy steel. Electric arc furnace has large volume and high equipment investment, generally more than 3 tons, so enterprises with a certain scale use electric arc furnace.

Medium frequency magnetic field has magnetic stirring effect on molten metal, which is conducive to uniform composition and scum. The installation and operation of medium frequency induction furnace are very convenient, which is convenient to replace the furnace body with different weight, different materials and different starting methods, so as to meet various smelting requirements. Medium frequency induction furnace is suitable for various metal smelting and casting processes. Compared with electric arc furnace, medium frequency furnace has low cost and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

2. Phosphorus, sulfur and deoxidation capacity

Electric arc furnace is better than induction furnace in removing phosphorus, sulfur and deoxidation. Induction furnace is cold slag, and the slag temperature is maintained by the heat provided by liquid steel. Electric arc furnace is hot slag, which is heated by electric arc. Dephosphorization and desulfurization tasks can be completed through slag, and diffusion deoxidation can be fully carried out through slag. Therefore, the ability of removing phosphorus, sulfur and deoxidation of electric arc furnace is better than that of induction furnace.

3. Nitrogen content

The nitrogen content in the steel smelted by electric arc furnace is higher than that in induction furnace, because the nitrogen molecules in the air in the high temperature area of electric arc are ionized into atoms and then absorbed by liquid steel. The nitrogen content of the alloy smelted by induction furnace is lower than that of electric arc furnace, the oxygen content is higher than that of electric arc furnace, and the rapid life value of the alloy is higher than that of electric arc furnace.

4. Burning loss rate

When smelting in induction furnace, the alloy elements in the returned material can be effectively recovered. During electric arc furnace smelting, the alloy elements in the returned material are oxidized into the slag first, and then reduced from the slag back to the liquid steel. Under the high temperature of electric arc, the volatilization and oxidation loss of elements, and the burning loss rate increases significantly. When smelting in induction furnace, the burning loss rate of alloy elements is lower than that in electric arc furnace, especially the burning loss rate of alloy elements in the returned material loaded with the furnace, which is much higher than that in induction furnace.

5. Carbon increase

Induction furnace is based on the principle of induction heating to melt the metal charge without liquid steel carburization. The electric arc furnace relies on the graphite electrode to heat the furnace charge through the electric arc, and the molten steel will be carburized after melting. Under normal conditions, when smelting high alloy nickel chromium steel, the carbon content in electric arc furnace is 0.06%, and that in induction furnace can reach 0.020%. The carbon increase in the smelting process of electric arc furnace is 0.020% and that of induction furnace is 0.010%.

6. Data regulation

When smelting in induction furnace, it is more convenient to regulate temperature, refining time, stirring intensity and maintain constant temperature than electric arc furnace, which can be carried out at any time. It plays an important role in the smelting of high alloy steel and alloy. It can produce products independently, and can also be produced in a dual process composed of secondary refining such as electroslag remelting and vacuum self consumption. Therefore, non vacuum medium frequency induction furnace smelting has become an important smelting method for the production of special steels and alloys such as high-speed steel, heat-resistant steel, stainless steel, electrothermal alloy, precision alloy and superalloy, and has been widely used.

The above is about the difference between electric arc furnace and medium frequency induction furnace. For more information about electric arc furnace: http://www.ayynd.com/