Improved Monitoring of the Water-Cooled Upper Shell of an Electric Arc Furnace Using Fiber-Optic Sensors

Modern EAFs employ ultrahigh power input to reduce scrap melting time, but the increase in arc length can lead to thermal inefficiency and furnace hot spots. The use of fiber-optic sensors for real-time thermal map of the water-cooled upper shell is presented to aid in shell hot spot detection and energy efficiency improvement. A lab-scale setup mimicking an EAF spray-cooled shell has demonstrated 2-mm spatial resolution and 1 Hz acquisition rate temperature sensing. Measurements on an industrial spray-cooled EAF panel have been demonstrated, offering a cost-effective high-resolution temperature measurement method compared to resistance temperature detectors.

Yeshwanth Reddy Mekala | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Rony Kumer Saha | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Ogbole C. Inalegwu | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Muhammad Roman | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Farhan Mumtaz | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Rex E. Gerald II | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Jeffrey D. Smith | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Jie Huang | Missouri University of Science and Technology
 

Dr. Ronald J. O'Malley | Missouri University of Science and Technology