CFD analysis of Capture Efficiency of Secondary Off-gas in an EAF shop

On account of the strict environmental regulations, Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) shops are constantly under pressure to efficiently capture their dust and off gases. Secondary emissions constitute the fumes and dusts emitted during charging and the fugitive emissions that escape through the electrode ports and other furnace openings during melting and refining operations. These emissions are sucked out of the working area through a canopy hood. The efficient capture of these emissions is not simple, due to their unsteady generation rate and interference of cross-drafts in the shop and therefore requires flow analysis. In the present work, computation fluid dynamic simulations of the fugitive emissions were carried out to visualize their flow pattern and assess their capture efficiency. Considering a typical EAF shop layout and by the varying suction rates, performance of a conventional hood and a deep storage hood designs are compared. The analysis is further extended to an enhanced design and is shown to be significantly energy efficient.