L.R. JACCARD BACKGROUNDL.R. JACCARD BACKGROUND
L.R. Jaccard is an electrical engineer graduated in 1965. In the last 35 years he has been working with industrial electric systems, and more specifically, with electric arc furnaces advising. More than 50 companies were attended, most of them operating direct arc electric furnaces for production of steel and the others producing steel alloy with submerged arc furnaces. The arc furnaces electrical parameters and their effects over productivity and electrode consumption received close attention. As well, the effects over the electric system, in particular flicker and harmonics. Many capacitor banks, with and without harmonic filters, have been specified in the last years. Other services done regarded to electrical equipment, like specification of transformers, reactors, breakers, lightning arresters and all the arc furnace peripheral equipment.
The achievement of productivity increase and operational costs reduction through the modification of the furnace project and the operational parameters was the main goal of the jobs made by L. Jaccard during the 80īs and 90īs. In those years, many projects were realize to increase furnaces voltage and power, including series reactors. The consequences were: electrode consumption reduction from 5,5 kg/t to 1,5 kg/t and productivity doubling. Currently, the focus is the productivity increase of the furnaces of high capacity working not only with high voltages but also with higher currents, searching lower arc lengths in order to reduce heating of furnace walls.