Computational method of continuous casting heats for the 304 stainless steel smelting flow in EAF by considering transport energy

Both transport time and temperature drop in transport processes were analyzed for the 304 stainless steel smelting flow in an electric arc furnace (EAF). The relationship between the temperature schedule in each process and continuous casting heats was established. In the existing temperature schedule the number of continuous casting heats was two. The temperature schedule with different continuous casting heats was presented by taking the process of six continuous casting heats for example. The transport energy during transport processes was calculated so as to analyze the relationship between continuous casting heats and different types of transport energy. A method for determining the optimum number of continuous casting heats was proposed which takes the transport energy into account. When the transport energy of increasing the continuous casting heats is less than the consumables' energy consumption of a new casting, the most number of continuous casting heats is the optimum.