Abstract

An electrode and conductor arrangement for a three-phase electric arc furnace supplied with power from a transformer, including three electrodes which extend downwardly into the furnace, and a plurality of current conducting paths each composed of a rigid conductor, which is conductively connected to a respective electrode and a flexible conductor connected in series between the rigid conductor and the transformer, the rigid conductors extending parallel to one another, the electrodes being spaced from one another in the horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the rigid conductors, in which the conducting paths associated with the center electrode are spaced a minimum distance, in the horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the rigid conductors, from the conducting paths associated with each of the outer electrodes, there are only two conducting paths, spaced vertically apart, connected to each outer electrode, the vertical spacing between the two conducting paths associated with each outer electrode is greater than the maximum spacing between the actual positions of the electrodes and the positions thereof required to achieve electrical symmetry and associated with identical distances between the lower end of each electrode and its point of connection to its associated rigid conductors; and the distance between the center electrode and the transformer is greater than that between each outer electrode and the transformer, for causing the current flow in the arrangement to be electrically symmetrical and minimizing the line inductances of the conducting paths.