In the footnote of Chapter 24 of Volume 1 of “Capital,” Marx quoted a passage from British critic T.J. Dunning’s “Trade Unions and Strikes” (1860), which states: “Once there is a proper profit, capital becomes bold… With a 10% profit, it is guaranteed to be used everywhere; with a 20% profit, it becomes active; with a 50% profit, it takes risks; for a 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; with a 300% profit, it dares to commit any crime, even risking the gallows!”
Recently, a friend promoting DC power told me, “The gross profit of DC power is 30%. If you help me promote a set of DC furnaces, I will give you a 30% profit.” In fact, using transformers for voltage regulation and static rectification with reactance is not very technical; DC electric arc furnace smelting equipment is made by companies that produce AC furnaces, and the equipment is basically the same as AC.
When money flows to the beneficiaries, many of those who benefit will remain silent and promote it. Most people cannot resist the temptation of money. In their words, “They are willing to do it, we can make money, so why should we oppose it?” I know they are smarter than us, but they do not have our conscience. I am the kind of person who would rather die of thirst than drink from a stolen spring.
Why do many people say DC is good? Even flock to it, it is good but not visible; it is a trap, just like the utopian society of the past.
Do you think Europeans, Americans, and Japanese are fools? Do they believe that miracles will happen in our country, which has lagged behind in smelting technology for over fifty years?
Currently, the best DC is in high-silicon ferromanganese, with an electricity consumption of 3800 degrees, which does not exceed the traditional AC’s 3700 degrees for high-silicon ferromanganese. Moreover, the DC ferromanganese slag is 1-3% higher than AC, and the DC silicon manganese is 3-5% higher. Currently, the 6517 DC smelting consumes 300-400 degrees more electricity than the same raw materials in AC. You see, how many new silicon manganese furnaces have been built in the past few years that claim DC is good? According to their claims, in 1-4 years, 2-4-8-16 furnaces should have been profitable.
It is said that money is hard to come by; in many people’s words, “If you don’t earn money, you’re a fool.” I won’t earn this money; those with integrity and principles won’t earn money that goes against their beliefs.
My two senior smelting friends said:
Friend A:
From their investigations, almost all DC furnaces have low output (about 80% of AC furnaces), high failure rates, and frequent electrode breakage (with these issues, how can the furnace be good?). Currently, the only companies publicly promoting good results are two high-silicon ferromanganese companies in Inner Mongolia (but they do not allow anyone to see, and the authenticity of the data is questionable). I am not optimistic about DC, so the furnaces I am responsible for do not use DC furnaces, and I do not want to inquire about them anymore.
Regarding DC furnaces, I share your view that they are merely repackaged DC furnaces from the 1970s, similar to electric vehicles, just an upgraded version.
Friend B:
Currently, DC furnaces are continuously increasing secondary current to eliminate the shortcomings of electrode sintering, with a secondary current of 125,000A for a 33,000KW DC furnace, while lowering secondary voltage. Originally, DC furnaces had high power factors and stable arcs due to lower secondary voltage, which resulted in high furnace temperatures, a characteristic of DC furnaces. Now, continuously lowering secondary voltage has lost the essence of DC, leading to a dead end! This is one issue I discovered during my recent investigations! I wonder if this is correct?
The second friend discussed operational voltage; these are seasoned experts in smelting.
The problem is that various organizations and smelting conferences are mixed and chaotic, just like the promoters of “big infrastructure, high-speed rail, Xiong’an, and large airports,” who, for their own interests, speak recklessly and mislead people.
But we are not like that; we are the “Mises” and “Hayek” of the smelting field. We adhere to scientific laws and personal integrity, insisting that time will prove everything! Within six months, DC ferrosilicon and DC industrial silicon will have proof, and everything will be revealed. I believe these large enterprises have the courage and responsibility to reveal the truth about DC electric arc furnaces.
2025/07/08