Electric arc furnace for melting metal
Horno de arco eléctrico para fundir metal
- Date
- 1878-1879 · confidence medium
- Place
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- William Siemens
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
Siemens patented in London the principle of the electric arc melting furnace, though he never built a working one; the first truly functional arc furnace was built by James Burgess Readman in Edinburgh in 1888, and Paul Héroult brought it into commercial steelmaking use around 1900-1907.
Wikidata gave the year 1900, incompatible with Siemens (who died in 1883); his patent dates from 1878-79 and was only theoretical. The first truly operational furnace was Readman's (1888, Edinburgh) and commercial success is due to Héroult (around 1900-1907).
What it led to
- Readman's first operational furnace in Edinburgh (1888)
- Commercial adoption by Héroult in France and the US (1900-1907)
- Steel production from scrap with lower energy consumption