Project Background
Direct current arc furnaces offer stable arcs, low flicker and precise power control - properties that matter both in research laboratories and in precious metal recovery. Shaanxi Chengda Industrial Furnace Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has delivered a family of DC test and production furnaces ranging from 100kg laboratory units to 2000kVA industrial installations.
Delivered Units
| Project | Unit | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzhou Fangda Carbon | 100kg DC test furnace | New material melting research |
| Dalian | 150kW DC arc furnace | High-melting-point material melting |
| Xuzhou | 500kg DC arc furnace | Non-metallic and refractory metal melting |
| Anyang, Henan | 2000kVA DC arc furnace | Industrial melting and recovery |
| Precious metal recovery unit | 150kW DC furnace | Precious metal material recovery |
Working Principle and Advantages
The DC furnace uses a single graphite or composite electrode with the bath acting as the return path. Compared with AC operation this delivers:
- Stable arc - no current zero crossing, so the arc is quieter and more controllable at low power
- Reduced flicker - lower reactive power fluctuation on the supply network
- Uniform heating - the arc and Joule heating combine to give good bath stirring
- Compact footprint - single electrode and simple mast structure suit laboratory and pilot plants
Application: Non-Metallic and Refractory Melting
For the Xuzhou 500kg unit, the furnace provides both an electron arc and an ion arc heat source, allowing it to melt non-metallic materials, high-melting-point refractory metals and precious-metal-bearing materials for either melting separation or refining extraction. The same platform was applied to the 150kW Dalian furnace and the precious metal recovery unit.
Application: Laboratory Research
The 100kg furnace supplied to Lanzhou Fangda Carbon was designed as a research tool: programmable power profile, recorded temperature and power data, and quick charge exchange between heats. Chengda handled foundation interface drawings, factory assembly, water pressure testing, packing and on-site hot commissioning, including overnight debugging until stable operation was confirmed.
Conclusion
From 100kg laboratory units to 2000kVA industrial furnaces, Chengda's DC furnace platform lets customers scale a proven process from test work to production without redesigning the thermal core.
Documentation and Training
Each unit was delivered with assembly drawings, electrical schematics, water pressure test records and operating instructions, plus on-site training covering power programming, electrode adjustment and routine maintenance.
Scaling from Laboratory to Production
Customers typically start with a 100kg or 150kW unit to establish process parameters, then scale to a 500kg or 2000kVA furnace using the same electrical and cooling architecture. This reduces the technical risk of scale-up and shortens the path from laboratory result to commercial production.