Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)

Electric arc furnaces date back the 19th century but really took off in postwar Europe when their low cost and speed of construction allowed Continental steelmakers to re-establish their shattered industry and compete with the giant American firms. As the name suggests they use electricity as the main source of energy. Electricity is passed through giant electrodes in the roof of an oven, creating an arc in which the temperature reaches 3000 degrees C. The advantage of arc furnaces is that they use scrap metal rather than iron ore as the main fuel. They use a lot less energy than blast furnaces and can be quickly stopped and restarted. Also, steel plants can time their operations to take advantage of low-cost electricity.