Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Electric Arc Furnace; Optical Fiber; Refractory Sidewall

Abstract

"Electric arc furnace (EAF) sidewalls experience severe thermal, chemical, and mechanical loading, especially near burner and injector regions where refractory wear and water ingress from damaged cooling components pose safety risks. Conventional thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors provide reliable point measurements but lack the spatial resolution needed to capture steep gradients and localized anomalies. This research investigates embedded optical fiber sensors for high-resolution temperature monitoring of EAF refractory safety linings to support early water-leak detection and assessment of refractory thermal behavior. A combined Rayleigh backscattering-based optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) approach was evaluated through laboratory experiments, thermal design, and industrial trials at SSAB Montpelier. In laboratory testing, a simulated 9.2 cc/min water leak produced a localized temperature depression in the Rayleigh profile. Industrial deployment beneath a water-cooled burner/injector showed that embedded fibers can capture process-driven thermal behavior within the safety lining. The first plant trial yielded 14 hours of usable data, while second-trial installation improvements extended data collection to about 30 hours for Rayleigh sensing and 56 hours for FBG sensing. Results showed that Rayleigh sensing is effective for distributed thermal mapping, whereas FBG sensing provides greater robustness for sustained high-temperature operation. Overall, this work demonstrates the feasibility and practical value of embedded optical fiber sensing for EAF refractory monitoring and guides improved sensor survivability and future industrial deployment"-- Abstract, p. iii

Advisor(s)

O'Malley, Ronald J.

Committee Member(s)

Huang, Jie
Bartlett, Laura
Buchely, Mario F.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

2026

Pagination

x, 60 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 52-59)

Rights

© 2026 Manoj Kumar Pullagura , All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12624

Download

Share

 
COinS