Experimental results of a Thyristor Switched Series Reactor for Electric Arc Furnaces

Power flow control in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) is inherent of the steel production process. The standard form is using an On-Load Tap Changer in the EAF transformer and controlling the arc length to achieve the desirable power in each stage of the scrap melting. An alternative to this system is the usage of a Thyristor Switched Series Reactor (TSSR). This device consists in some series reactors to the EAF with bypass switches. Depending on the EAF operation stage, a series reactor could be bypassed, increasing power flow. This paper presents experimental results of a low-scale TSSR. To emulate the EAF, an arc welder is employed.