Project Overview
Ferroboron is a critical alloying additive for boron steels and permanent magnets. A Turkish producer selected Shaanxi Chengda Industrial Furnace Manufacturing Co., Ltd. to supply a ferroboron electric furnace for its plant, and the project has now entered the commissioning stage.
Equipment Configuration
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Furnace type | Fixed semi-closed low-hood three-phase AC electric furnace |
| Power supply to electrodes | Hydraulic driven conductive arm |
| Process route | Cold charging, batch operation |
| Operating sequence | Power-on, charging, melting, reduction smelting, sampling, qualified tapping |
| Product | Ferroboron for the Turkish market |
Design Rationale
- Compact structure - the fixed semi-closed low-hood layout fits a compact plant building and simplifies maintenance access
- Stable operation - three-phase AC with hydraulic conductive arm gives reliable current transfer and efficient power utilisation
- Cold charging process - suited to the customer's raw material supply and allows controlled addition of reductants
- Batch discipline - each heat is individually controlled from power-on through reduction smelting to sampling, ensuring ferroboron grade consistency
Commissioning Status
The equipment has entered the debugging stage. During commissioning the customer's technical team inspected the furnace structure, the hydraulic conductive arm, the electrode regulation and the tapping arrangement. Chengda's engineers adjusted electrical parameters and operating procedures to the local charge materials. Customer feedback on equipment structure and installation quality has been strongly positive, and the plant expects to move into commercial production of high-quality ferroboron.
What This Means for Boron Alloy Producers
Ferroboron melting is a small-volume, high-value operation where heat-to-heat consistency matters more than raw tonnage. Chengda's design keeps the furnace simple, controllable and easy to re-line, while the batch process route gives the operator full control over reduction conditions and alloy composition.
Delivery Scope
Chengda supplied the furnace proper, hydraulic conductive arm, electrode system, water cooling, electrical control and installation drawings, with engineers on site for installation supervision, cold testing and hot commissioning support.
Local Conditions Considered
Design accounted for the site's power supply characteristics, ambient temperature range and available maintenance resources. Components were selected for straightforward replacement with locally available tools, and the process recipe was adapted to the customer's reductant and boron source.
Chengda's commissioning team remains available for remote support during the first production campaigns, covering electrode regulation, tapping practice and slag control.
Once hot commissioning is complete, the furnace will supply ferroboron to domestic steelmakers, reducing reliance on imported alloys.
The project also gives Chengda a first reference in the Turkish ferroalloy market, a stepping stone for further cooperation with regional alloy producers.