Arc furnaces

The steelworks arc furnace is a melting tool designed to melt a primary metal, usually scrap, but also cast iron (solid or liquid) or pre-reduced ores.

The first industrial arc furnaces appeared at the beginning of the XX ^e century. Since then, although based on the same basic principles, arc furnaces have undergone significant development in terms of both technology and production capacity. Indeed, modern furnaces have a capacity of around 200 t, with an energy consumption of between 400 and 500 kWh/t.

Large industrial furnaces account for a significant proportion of electrical energy consumption in the industrial sector (nearly 4% of consumption by large-scale industry in France). According to some forward-looking studies, the electrical sector is set to continue growing, accounting for around 50% of the world's steel production by 2005-2010.