The Verticon is similar to the Consteel system used at Nucor's mill in Darlington, S.C., and elsewhere. The system could be retrofitted to existing EAFs and reduce electricity consumption by 100-150 kWh per ton, Mueller says. The EAF then wouldn't need to use oxy-fuel burners as much as before. In the past couple of decades, EAF steelmakers have multiplied the amount of oxygen they blow into the molten bath. In many cases in the U.S., it may not make economic sense to inject more gas because you can buy electricity at 2.5 or 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Electricity can cost half as much in the U.S. as it does in other countries.
Though they save money by using less electricity and more oxygen, U.S. steelmakers use oxygen mainly to produce more steel. Companies also attempt to incorporate more efficient oxygen use into the EAF's geometry. The new Conarc EAF from Mannesmann Demag mimics the geometry of a BOF vessel. The configuration allows operators to inject oxygen centrally through the roof. This distributes the gas more evenly than in EAFs that inject from the side or through the door, says Pedro Braga, Mannesmann Demag's vice president of iron and steelmaking.