A Study on the Temperature Dependency of the Electrical Conductivity of Chromite Pellets

8 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2021

See all articles by Anne Heikkila

Anne Heikkila

University of Oulu

Ville-Valtteri Visuri

Outokumpu Stainless Oy

Eetu-Pekka Heikkinen

University of Oulu

Timo Fabritius

University of Oulu- Process Metallurgy Research Unit

Date Written: September 12, 2021

Abstract

In ferrochrome production, the main feed materials of a submerged arc furnace (SAF) are chromite pellets, coke, and upgraded lumpy ore. The electrical behavior of the feed material in an SAF is important since it has an impact on the functioning and productivity of the furnace. Ideally, the electrical conductivity should be low in the upper part of the furnace and high near the electrode tip to ensure that the electric current path is through the metal bath via arching. An alternative option for the current path would be by ohmic conduction through the solid feed, but in this case, heat energy will be mostly wasted. This study focuses on the electrical behavior of chromite pellets as a function of temperature. To this end, the electrical conductivity of a chromite pellet bed was measured in an inert atmosphere from room temperature up to 1500°C. The electrical conductivity was measured both during the heat-up and cooling of the samples. It was found that the electrical conductivity increased continuously until the maximum temperature of 1500°C and was generally higher in the cooling cycle than during the heat-up at the corresponding temperature.

Keywords: submerged arc furnace, chromite pellet, electrical behavior

Suggested Citation

Heikkila, Anne and Visuri, Ville-Valtteri and Heikkinen, Eetu-Pekka and Fabritius, Timo, A Study on the Temperature Dependency of the Electrical Conductivity of Chromite Pellets (September 12, 2021). Proceedings of the 16th International Ferro-Alloys Congress (INFACON XVI) 2021, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3926625 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3926625

Anne Heikkila (Contact Author)

University of Oulu ( email )

P.O. Box 4600
Oulu FIN-90014, 90570
Finland

Ville-Valtteri Visuri

Outokumpu Stainless Oy ( email )

Finland

Eetu-Pekka Heikkinen

University of Oulu ( email )

P.O. Box 4600
Oulu FIN-90014, 90570
Finland

Timo Fabritius

University of Oulu- Process Metallurgy Research Unit ( email )

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