Effect of Charge Composition on Metallurgical Silicon Smelting Indices in Electric-Arc Furnaces

Abstract

It is shown that preparation of silicon at high temperature from silicon-containing resources by reduction with carbon in electric-arc furnaces is accompanied by the occurrence of complex physicochemical transformations affecting the main indices of the carbothermal process, i.e., extraction during melting (ε_Si) and end product chemical composition. The expected silicon chemical composition is obtained on the basis of a mathematical model formed by means of Selektor software simulating melting the distribution of elements entering a furnace within the charge for melting products. The predicted silicon quality is confirmed by results of x-ray microanalysis. Analysis is also conducted for the effect of a different ratio of raw material (quartzite and carbon reducing agent) for components in a loaded charge on silicon extraction. The optimum charge composition is determined for end product extraction up to 81.84%.