Vanadium Iron Electric Arc Furnace

Core Technical Features

• Targeted Raw Material Adaptability:
  Specifically optimized for smelting vanadium-rich raw materials (e.g., vanadium slag from steelmaking, V₂O₅, or vanadium-bearing pig iron). Its feeding system and furnace lining (often made of high-alumina or magnesia refractory materials) resist corrosion from vanadium oxides and high-temperature molten slag, ensuring long-term stable operation.
• Precise Thermodynamic Control:
  Adopts advanced temperature monitoring (e.g., infrared thermometers, thermocouples) and electrode adjustment systems (hydraulic or servo-driven). Vanadium iron smelting requires a narrow temperature window (1,600–1,800°C) to avoid excessive oxidation of vanadium or incomplete reduction; the furnace precisely maintains this range to maximize vanadium recovery rate (usually over 90%).
• Reduction Atmosphere Regulation:
  Equipped with sealed furnace body and inert gas (e.g., nitrogen, argon) injection systems. By isolating air or filling with reducing gases, it prevents reoxidation of vanadium during smelting— a critical issue that would reduce alloy quality and vanadium yield.
• Efficient Slag-Metal Separation:
  Features a tilted furnace body (with adjustable tilting angle) and optimized slag discharge structure. Vanadium smelting produces high-viscosity slag; the design ensures complete separation of molten vanadium iron and slag, reducing vanadium loss in slag and improving product purity.
• Automated Process Management:
  Integrated with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems. It automates key processes such as electrode lifting, temperature control, feeding, and slag discharge, while real-time monitoring of vanadium content (via on-line spectral analysis) ensures consistent alloy quality.

Working Principle

1. Melting Stage: The arc (generated between electrodes and raw materials) heats the charge to 1,500–1,600°C, melting vanadium slag, iron ore, and other raw materials into a uniform molten mixture.
2. Reduction Stage: Reducing agents (e.g., carbon, ferrosilicon) are added to the molten bath. Under high temperature, vanadium oxides (e.g., V₂O₅, V₂O₃) react with reducing agents to form metallic vanadium, which dissolves in molten iron to form vanadium iron alloy.
3. Refining & Separation Stage: The furnace is tilted to discharge low-vanadium slag first; then, the molten vanadium iron (with controlled vanadium content) is tapped into ladles for subsequent processing (e.g., casting into ingots or granulation).

Typical Applications

• Steel Industry: Production of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel, pipeline steel, automotive sheet steel, and tool steel (vanadium iron improves steel’s strength and weldability).
• Special Alloy Field: Manufacturing of superalloys for aerospace engines, nuclear power equipment, and high-temperature-resistant components (vanadium enhances alloy’s heat resistance and creep resistance).
• Metallurgical Auxiliary: Production of vanadium-based additives for adjusting the composition of other ferroalloys (e.g., vanadium-molybdenum alloy, vanadium-titanium alloy).

Core Advantages

1. High Vanadium Recovery Rate: Targeted design for vanadium reduction and separation, with vanadium recovery typically exceeding 90%—far higher than general-purpose furnaces (which often have <80% recovery).
2. Stable Product Quality: Precise control of temperature, atmosphere, and composition ensures vanadium content in the final alloy meets international standards (e.g., GB/T 4139-2021 in China, ASTM A1005 in the US) with low impurity content (S, P <0.05%).
3. Energy Efficiency: Optimized arc stability and heat utilization reduce unit energy consumption—tonnage vanadium iron (60% V) consumes approximately 4,500–5,500 kWh of electricity, 10%–15% lower than traditional blast furnace processes.
4. Environmental Friendliness: Equipped with waste gas treatment systems (e.g., bag filters, desulfurization devices) and waste heat recovery units, reducing emissions of dust, SO₂, and NOₓ. It also avoids the heavy pollution of coke-based smelting processes.