Application of pulsed power in the steel industry

Steelmaking in minimills primarily involves the melting of scrap ferrous material in electric arc furnaces, followed by continuous casting of the molten steel into blooms or billets. A new method of continuously casting steel in near-net shape products is being developed at Lake Ontario Steel Company (LASCO) by J. Mulcahy Enterprises Inc. Ontario Hydro is providing support for this project, through its expertise in the field of electromagnetic applications. The device which has been developed is a closed-head, radially pulsating mold, which will produce a better quality surface and internal steel structure, to allow in-line hot rolling.