Research on the Effectiveness of Enhanced Control Algorithms for the Electrical Modes of a Ladle Furnace Installation

In this article, issues related to improving the energy efficiency of ladle-furnace installations (LFs) through the development and implementation of advanced control algorithms for electrical modes are considered. The main focus is on reducing the specific energy consumption <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$(W_{spec})$</tex>, which is one of the key factors in enhancing the economic efficiency of steelmaking production. Within this research, a comprehensive analysis of the existing operating modes of LFs was conducted, during which reserves for optimizing the heating processes of liquid steel and improving the thermal efficiency of electric arcs were identified. Additionally, new algorithms for automatic switching of working curves and stages of the furnace transformer's OLTP (tap change under load) were developed, based on the analysis of the harmonic composition of the arc currents. These algorithms enable dynamic adaptation of the electrical modes of LFs to changing conditions of argon blowing and slag regimes, ensuring minimization of thermal losses and electricity consumption reduction. The obtained results demonstrate the significance of applying modern methods of controlling electrical modes to enhance the energy efficiency and competitiveness of steelmaking processes.