SMELTING ORES BY ELECTRICITY 



ing wattmeter. The transformer and instruments were 

 manufactured by the W. E. & M. Company. 



The materials of the charge, ore, flux and carbon were 

 crushed to pass through a ^ -inch ring, and roughly mixed ; 

 150 casts were made, producing 56 tons of pig. The aver- 

 age conditions of ore run for the production of grey iron 

 was as follows : 



Length of run, - 12 hours. 



Mean volts, - - - 38.5 volts. 



Mean current, >----- 4,856 amperes. 



Power factor, 919-10%. 



Pig produced, -------- 2,665 lbs. 



Watts consumed, 38.5 x 4,836 x .919= 171,812. 

 E. H.P. consumed, -. = - = -- 230.3. 

 Output of pig per 1,000 E.H.P. days, 11.57 tons. 

 E.H.P. years of 365 days per ton of pig, .236. 



It was expected that considerable difficulty would be 

 experienced in the smelting of magnetite on account of its 

 conductivity. It was thought that, with the furnace in 

 use, in ? electrode was immersed in the charge, 



the current would disseminate itself laterally from the 

 sides of the electrode through the charge, preventing the 

 current at the reducing and fusion zone from attaining 

 such density as would be required for the high temperature 

 necessary for reduction and fusion. 



With charcoal as a reducing agent, no difficulty was 

 experienced, nor was the inductance of the furnace in- 

 creased by the presence of the magnetite. The consump- 

 tion of electrode per ton of pig was 17.98 lbs. The power 

 factor, 91 9-10%, was very high, and this was due to the 

 construction of the furnace casing, which prevented the 

 closing of the magnetic lines of force. 



The experiments indicated, that under normal condi- 

 tions, about 1 1.5 tons of pig were produced by an expendi^ 

 \nTt of i^ooo K.H,P< days, 



