Synergic Combination of Hardware and Software Innovations for Energy Efficiency and Process Control Improvement: A Steel Industry Application

Abstract

The present paper proposes a steel industry case study focused on a reheating furnace and a rolling mill. Hardware and software innovations were successfully combined in order to obtain process control and energy efficiency improvement. The reheating furnace at study is pusher type and processes billets. The hardware innovation is related to the installation of an insulated tunnel at the end of the reheating furnace, in order to guarantee a higher heat retention of the billets before their path along the rolling mill stands. The software innovation refers to the design and the installation of an Advanced Process Control system which manipulates the gas flow rate and the stoichiometric ratio of the furnace zones in order to satisfy the control specifications on billets and furnace variables. The control system is based on Model Predictive Control strategy and on a virtual sensor which tracks and estimates the billet features inside/outside the furnace. The designed controller was commissioned on the real plant, providing significant performances in terms of service factor, process control, and energy efficiency.

Enhancing the efficiency of a gas-fueled reheating furnace of the steelmaking industry: assessment and improvement

“…Another influencing factor is the throughput of material: as production levels increase, there is a corresponding rise in furnace efficiency (Maliarenko et al, 2020). Efficient material flows can be achieved with adaptive, predictive control strategies (Zanoli et al, 2023) that ensure stability and optimal performance (Yang et al, 2023. The same is true regarding temperature uniformity across the billet sections, which also depends on the burner placement inside the furnace (Liu et al, 2020). A waste recovery system also plays a key role in enhancing efficiency in reheating furnaces (Inayat, 2023).…”

“…Ultimately, there are more feasible options than erecting an enclosed warehouse for heat retention, owing to the intricate logistical challenge posed by the need for towering cranes to manipulate the billets. However, Zanoli et al (2023) present an innovative solution applicable to the current scenario: introducing an insulated tunnel to connect the furnace outlet with the initial stage of the rolling mill.…”