Abstract

These two names differ by only one word, yet they are two completely different pieces of equipment — and this also determines the fundamental divide of "whether electrode paste is used or not".One-sentence distinction: a submerged arc furnace "burns as it is used and extends as it is used", with the electrode growing into shape inside the furnace itself; an electric arc furnace "installs the whole electrode and replaces it once it is used up", with the electrode a finished product when it leaves the factory. The former depends on formulation and operation; the latter depends on the quality of the electrode itself.

Keywords

Electrode paste；submerged arc furnace (SAF)；electric arc furnace (EAF)；self-baking electrode；graphite electrode；Rongxing Group

Last updated

2026-11-05

Owner

Rongxing Group Technical Team

1. The essential difference: where the electrode is inserted

2. Why submerged arc furnaces prefer electrode paste

• They can be made very large: graphite electrodes are limited by forming and graphitization furnaces, so their diameter rarely exceeds 800 mm; self-baking electrodes, however, can reach 1200–2000 mm together with the electrode shell, meeting the high-current demand of large submerged arc furnaces.

• Low cost: electrode paste costs CNY 3,000–5,000/t, against CNY 12,500–40,000/t for graphite electrodes — a gap of 3 to 10 times. Submerged arc furnaces use very large quantities of electrodes and are cost-sensitive.

• Continuous extension: submerged arc furnaces operate continuously, and self-baking electrodes are extended as they are consumed, with no need to stop the furnace to change electrodes; electric arc furnaces operate intermittently, so changing electrodes does not disturb the rhythm.

• The baking heat source is already there: in a submerged arc furnace the burden surrounds the electrode, and the temperature gradient is naturally suited to self-baking; in an electric arc furnace the electrode is suspended in the air, with no baking environment.

3. Five practical differences in how they are used

One-sentence distinction: a submerged arc furnace "burns as it is used and extends as it is used", with the electrode growing into shape inside the furnace itself; an electric arc furnace "installs the whole electrode and replaces it once it is used up", with the electrode a finished product when it leaves the factory. The former depends on formulation and operation; the latter depends on the quality of the electrode itself.

4. A common point of confusion

Some materials refer to submerged arc furnaces as "submerged arc electric furnaces" or "submerged arc furnaces", and to calcium carbide furnaces as "submerged arc furnaces", which makes them easy to confuse with steelmaking electric arc furnaces. The criterion is simple: look at whether the electrode is buried in the burden, whether the product is "an alloy obtained by reduction" or "melted steel", and whether the electrode is "paste" or "a graphite rod". If all three match, you will not misidentify it.