Abstract: Disclosed is an ore-smelting electrical furnace bath, in which smelting is accomplished with electrodes buried into the melted slag, comprising an externally cooled metallic jacket, a lining forming the walls and the bottom of the bath, and a sealing layer interposed therebetween. The walls of the bath in the melted slag zone are made from graphite-reinforced refractory blocks having a thickness at which the total thermal resistance of these blocks and of the sealing layer ranges from 0.01 to 0.09 m.sup.2 hr.deg./kcal. The lower portion of the aforesaid walls and the bottom are made from refractory carbon blocks.

Abstract: A method for smelting charge materials in an electric arc furnace consists in that a bath of the electric arc furnace is loaded with the charge materials, electrodes of the electric arc furnace are supplied with an alternating current, the charge materials are melted, redox reactions are conducted and a finished melt and a slag are tapped, the alternating current of industrial frequency supplied to the electrodes of the electric arc furnace being first converted to one of a frequency ranging between 0.05 and 30 Hz. An apparatus for carrying into effect the above method comprises an electric arc furnace, in a bath of which are inserted electrodes. A secondary winding of a transformer is coupled with the electrodes through power supply arrangements.