What are the working principles of high-power graphite electrodes?

The working principle of high-power graphite electrodes is to generate an arc by conducting current to achieve heating and melting of the charge.

Current Carrying Capacity

Nomina diameter		RP		HP		UHP
Nomina diameter		Current Carrying Capacity	Current Density	Current Carrying Capacity	Current Density	Current Carrying Capacity	Current Density
in	mm	A	A/cm2	A	A/cm2	A	A/cm2
12	300	10000-13000	14-18	13000-17400	17-24	15000-22000	20-30
14	350	13500-18000	14-18	17400-24000	17-24	20000-30000	20-30
16	400	18000-23500	14-18	21000-31000	16-24	25000-40000	19-30
18	450	22000-27000	13-17	25000-40000	15-24	32000-45000	19-27
20	500	25000-32000	13-16	30000-48000	15-24	38000-55000	18-27
22	550	32000-40000	13-16	35000-55000	14-22	42000-64000	17-26
24	600	35000-41000	13-15	41000-61000	14-21	50000-73000	17-25
28	700	39000-48000	10-12	55000-82000	14-21	67000-99000	17-25
32	800	43000-54000	8-10	/	/	/	/

High-power graphite electrodes are an indispensable conductive material in steelmaking and other smelting processes. They are made of petroleum coke, needle coke, etc. as raw materials through a series of production processes, including calcination, batching, kneading, pressing, roasting, graphitization and machining. When in use, graphite electrodes are installed in an electric arc furnace and high current is conducted through them. When current passes through the graphite electrode, due to the low resistivity of the electrode, the electrode will generate an arc. This arc is able to convert electrical energy into heat energy, thereby generating high temperatures of up to several thousand degrees. These high temperatures are sufficient to melt the raw materials in the furnace, thereby realizing the smelting process of steelmaking or other metals.

High-power graphite electrodes are characterized by a high allowable current density, which means that they can carry more current per unit area, resulting in a stronger arc and higher temperature. This makes high-power graphite electrodes particularly suitable for industrial applications where large amounts of material need to be melted quickly. In addition, high-power graphite electrodes can remain stable under severe temperature changes due to their superior heat resistance and low thermal expansion coefficient, reducing damage caused by temperature fluctuations.

In general, the working principle of high-power graphite electrodes is to use their excellent electrical conductivity and high temperature resistance to generate an arc in an electric arc furnace to heat and melt the charge, and then carry out steelmaking and other metal smelting work.