A finite element iterative simulation of coupled electrothermal effects in an electric smelting furnace

The problem of predicting the electrothermal conditions within the slag bath of an electric smelting furnace is considered. A method of decoupling the electrothermal and fluid flow aspects of the problem is described. The steady state temperature and power distributions in the conducting slag bath are efficiently calculated using a Finite Element-simulation. A unique feature of the simulation is the incorporation of an impedance regulator that adjusts the immersion of the electrode as the electrothermal iteration proceeds. It is shown that the simulation predicts the terminal characteristics of the furnace with very good accuracy.