On monitoring the state of electrodes in arc furnaces for silicon production

Electrodes are fundamental elements in the operation of arc furnaces, to the extent that monitoring their state is a very suitable way to check the operation of the furnace. In addition, in the cases where electrode breakages are relatively prone to occur, their early detection is very important to prevent damage to other parts of the furnace and to minimize production losses. This paper presents the monitoring system that is being used at the silicon production facility of the company Ferroatlantica, in Spain. Experimental results regarding the electrical characterization of the electrodes and proving the breakage detection capabilities of the developed system are given.