Transient simulation of conjugate heat transfer in the roof cooling panel of an electric arc furnace

Temperature variation of an electric arc furnace roof cooling panel during the charging stage is a major source of thermal fatigue and cracks in cooling pipes and consequently frequent stops in the furnace operation. In this research, transient heat transfer analyses of the cooling panel pipe have been used in order to understand the grounds for crack generation. Conjugate heat transfer has been considered in the analysis of roof cooling panel including water and tube thickness. The temperature variations of the pipe wall and water were simulated and the results were validated with the experimental data obtained from a real site. The simulation results revealed that there are severe temperature gradients versus time in the bends and also in the peripheral direction of the pipe initiating thermal stress and cracks. Using cooper instead of steel for roof cooling panel material showed that panel temperature decreased by around 6%. Also, changing the roof cooling panel geometry to a circular shape reduced the temperature gradient in the panel and created more uniform temperature distribution.