1. What is a graphite electrode?Graphite electrode is mainly made of petroleum coke and needle coke as raw materials, coal tar pitch is used as a binder, and it

1. What is a graphite electrode?

Graphite electrode is mainly made of petroleum coke and needle coke as raw materials, coal tar pitch is used as a binder, and it is made by calcination, batching, kneading, pressing, roasting, graphitization, and machining. It releases electric energy in the form of electric arc in an electric arc furnace. A conductor that heats and melts the charge. According to its quality index, it can be divided into ordinary power graphite electrode, high power graphite electrode and ultra high power graphite electrode.

The main raw material for graphite electrode production is petroleum coke. Ordinary power graphite electrodes can be added with a small amount of pitch coke, and the sulfur content of petroleum coke and pitch coke cannot exceed 0.5%. Needle coke is also needed when producing high-power or ultra-high-power graphite electrodes. The main raw material for aluminum anode production is petroleum coke, and the sulfur content is controlled not to exceed 1.5% to 2%. The petroleum coke and pitch coke should meet the relevant national quality standards.

2. The use of graphite electrodes

(1) Used in electric arc steelmaking furnace: electric furnace steelmaking is a big user of graphite electrodes. The output of electric furnace steel in my country accounts for about 18% of the output of crude steel, and graphite electrodes for steelmaking account for 70% to 80% of the total consumption of graphite electrodes. Electric furnace steelmaking uses graphite electrodes to introduce current into the furnace, and uses the high temperature heat source generated by the arc between the electrode end and the charge for smelting.

(2) Submerged electric furnace: Submerged electric furnace is mainly used for the production of industrial silicon and yellow phosphorus. Its characteristic is that the lower part of the conductive electrode is buried in the charge, forming an arc in the charge layer, and using the resistance of the charge itself to emit The heat energy is used to heat the charge, and the mine thermoelectric furnace that requires a higher current density requires graphite electrodes. For example, it consumes about 100kg of graphite electrodes to produce 1t of silicon, and about 40kg of graphite electrodes are needed to produce 1t of yellow phosphorus.

(3) For resistance furnaces: Graphitization furnaces for producing graphite products, melting furnaces for melting glass, and electric furnaces for producing silicon carbide are all resistance furnaces. The materials in the furnace are both heating resistors and heated objects. Usually, The conductive graphite electrode is embedded in the furnace head wall at the end of the resistance furnace, and the graphite electrode used here is discontinuously consumed.

(4) Used to prepare special-shaped graphite products: the blanks of graphite electrodes are also used for processing into various crucibles, molds, boats and heating elements and other special-shaped graphite products. For example, in the quartz glass industry, 10t of graphite electrode blanks are required to produce 1t of fused tubes; 100kg of graphite electrode blanks are required to produce 1t of quartz bricks.