Experience of putting into practice and development prospects of digital twins in section rolling technological systems

Abstract

The authors consider the problem of creation, development and putting into practice digital twins for technological processes. Use of digital technologies in metallurgy allows to cut the expenses of manufacturing process, to improve quality of metal products and to widen their grade and dimension ranges. The leadership of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) formulates the ambitious aim to create a digital twin for a full-scale technological site, with consequent distribution of a digital platform to the whole enterprise. As soon as production stage is the main part of each metallurgical company, providing receiving of the required profit, stage-by-stage achievement of the formulated goal is starting from the industrial component. Step-by-step process of creation of a digital twin is considered for the section rolling mill 170 at Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. This technological process is also combined and can be presented as separate conditional blocks, such as metal heating, rolling and cooling. Based on the positive result of the successfully realized project of the digital twin for the air cooling lines, it was decided to use this practice to the whole technology of manufacture of section products at MMK 170 rolling mill. The main aims and tasks for the examined project are formulated, it will allow to obtain the first Russian experience of creation of the full-scale digital twin of an industrial object. The features of operation of up-to-date digital twins are considered and the functional restrictions are defined. Structural scheme of the created complex dynamic mathematical model was designed as the base for operation of the ready solution. Expected industrial effects were formed in narrow cooperation with MMK specialists. Taking into account the technical and technological risks, the restrictions for implementation of the digital twin are determined: operation in the advising conditions, use of the complete data spectrum about the object for full-range possibility of digital copy simulation, industrial testing in the real operating conditions of the rolling mill until achievement of preset authenticity. When considering the prospects of creation of similar solutions for other technological objects (rolling mills or other technological stages), up-to-date features of their further development and integration within the company range are revealed. They testify that created digital twin can be a universal testing field, promoting appearance of domestic integration platform for digital twins. Import substitution in this industry is critically important for Russia, because there no such technical solutions at the national market.