Assessing the flicker emission of electric arc furnaces in CO2-neutral steel production: a case study

The steel industry's transition to CO2-neutral production methods is driving the usage of direct reduction processes using hydrogen or natural gas. Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) playing a critical role in processing directly reduced iron. EAFs are known for their dynamic power consumption, which leads to a significant flicker emission. Conventional methods for estimating the flicker of an EAF during the planning stage tend to overestimate the emission due to simplifications and lack of input parameters, which can result in exceeding permissible emission limits even with advanced compensation systems. This paper presents in a case study the calculation of the flicker emission of a planned EAF. Flicker emissions of an existing, similar behaving EAF were measured in various operational modes. Using a current-based flickermeter the flicker emission of the planned EAF at the new connection point is calculated and assessed for the emission limit values. As a result, the connection was verified to meet the grid operator's requirements with realistic flicker compensation.