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By Hiago Antunes Amador de Oliveira, William Pratt Rogers, Aaron Young

Monitoring systems are highly critical components in the safety of tailings storage facilities (TSF). Internet of things (IoT) platforms present a unique way to improve TSF monitoring systems. Since there are so many available IoT technologies, this conference paper aims to create a focused list of IoT options for improving TSF safety. To achieve this aim, a brief qualitative review of available literature and state of the art technologies is presented in Section 2. The article further assists this aim by summarizing the benefits of IoT platforms which have been found in the literature. With respect to findings, literature suggests that while sensor technologies have existed as solutions for tailings dams for many years, IoT greatly reduces the cost of deploying, monitoring, maintaining, and gaining insight from these sensors. Additionally, IoT removes the need for manual data collection from sensors, enabling the monitoring of tailings dams from miles away and the use of new sensor technologies. Therefore, as a conclusion, this article recommends that IoT capable monitoring systems be considered for use in TSF monitoring.

Oct 3, 2019

By Maurizio Massimo

Danieli developed the “3Q” suite of process control technologies to address three critical principles: delivering the highest product Quality, in the required Quantity, with Quickness of response required for today’s casting machines. Ever increasing market demands for productivity and slab quality necessitate the latest advances/improvements in equipment design, process technology, and control software for all types of slab casters, and Danieli boasts a unique experience that extends from ultra high-speed thin slab casters to extra high-thickness conventional slab casters. The “3Q” system is monitored and controlled by a unique, intelligent HMI incorporating. Touch screen technology and Operator Assistant tablets. Operator Assistant is a tablet based system that guides the operator through the plant process, so that in the event of a process change or an alarm the operator is automatically presented with the choice of possible solutions / actions. The comprehensive range of technological packages cover all aspects of caster design and automation control, from feeding of liquid steel into the tundish to the final slab leaving the caster.

Aug 17, 2017

By Norbert Asamer, Stefan Purrer

Depending on the product or the material grade, conventional deburring machines, such as e.g. with rotating hammers, are in many cases not capable to reliably or completely remove burrs from the edges of a continuously cast product. Burr, however, is generated at the front and/or tail ends of a slab, bloom or billet as a result from torch cutting. Likewise, traversal grinding of the slab’s rolling surfaces can also cause burr at the long side edges of the slab whereby such burr can even be more difficult to remove. Based on their experience and know-how with abrasive machining processes (abrasive cutting, high-pressure grinding) over a period of more than 50 years up to now, BRAUN has developed a highly flexible deburring grinding machine for applications which are too difficult for conventional deburring techniques. BRAUN’s deburring grinding machines were successfully introduced to the steel industry and have proven their worth under normal production conditions already. The subject paper describes the key features and advantages of BRAUN’s machine design and the operational results from the first already completed projects.

Oct 1, 2019

By Werner Klein

The Production Management solution (Level 3) covers TYASA’s existing steel making plant, billet caster and new Castrip based coil production line in Ixtaczoquitlan, Mexico. It steers the order based production utilizing product routing information and corresponding process instructions for the individual processing units. A seamless material tracking along the entire production route from heat creation in the electric arc furnace down to the final coil product provides TYASA with the genealogy information customers require for flat products. At each important process step the Level 3 compares actual quality related production results with order requirements. In case of deviations from ordered quality the plant staff is guided by rule based dispositions. The highly configurable solution supports customer to operate its production plant as a smart factory in the sense of industry 4.0.

Oct 30, 2017

By Bruno Gomes Silva

O Distribuidor é um equipamento indispensável e de grande importância no processo de solidificação do aço via Lingotamento Contínuo. Os distribuidores são revestidos por um material refratário de trabalho que entrará em contato com o aço líquido. Atualmente é utilizado um revestimento que possui a necessidade de adição de água durante a aplicação, que poderá ser manual ou automática. Com o distribuidor disponível para lingotamento, o mesmo é direcionado para as máquinas de lingotamento onde serão pré-aquecidos visando retirar o excesso de umidade e promover a sinterização do refratário. O presente trabalho apresenta uma alternativa de revestimento, onde não é utilizada água na aplicação do produto, ou seja, um refratário com características de auto-endurecimento que permite iniciar o lingotamento sem haver necessidade de pré-aquecimento, o que significa partir a frio com o distribuidor.

Aug 16, 2017

By Richard Harvey, Robert Paul Mawer

In recent times there has been an increase in the demand from Steel plants for a technology that offers the most economical environmentally sustainable solution. In terms of blast furnace off gas cleaning this has seen a drive towards Cyclone technology replacing the older Dustcatchers. Cyclone technology can achieve dust removal efficiencies as high as 95% increasing the dust yield at the primary stage of gas cleaning. The dry dust (rich in Fe and C) can then be recycled to the Sinter Plant or Blast Furnace. Capture of dust at this stage also has the benefit that sludge generation from the secondary stage is also reduced meaning less waste to landfill and / or recovery of some of the by-products for further use. Primetals Technologies already offer a state of the art Tri-Axial Cyclone installed on many sites world-wide, however, this paper focuses on a hybrid of this technology, the DustClone. The DustClone is a low CAPEX unit that is essentially a Cyclone housed inside the Dustcatcher. This unit is aimed at operators who may be carrying out smaller scaled shutdowns / repairs that normally have a reduced CAPEX. This paper describes the technology that Primetals Technologies have developed.

Oct 1, 2019

By Luiz Bruno de Oliveira Araujo, Luciano Morais Teixeira, Luiz Gustavo Pedrosa de Melo, Altair Lúcio de Souza

The off-line simulation of the metallurgical process in an industrial line brings several benefits such as: evaluation of the influence of the main parameters that affect the results of the process, comparison between different set ups, greater assertiveness in operational adjustments, process optimization and reduction tests for development of new products. With this objective, a software for offline simulation of the hot strip mill process of Gerdau Ouro Branco was developed based on the logic of calculations implemented in the online model. The software results in important process variables such as mill pass scale, load, torque, and power at each pass, temperature and the hot mean flow stress of the simulated material. During rolling mill process the strip presents different temperatures and time between passes for different points along the length, which directly influences the hot strength of the product and consequently in the calculated variables, thus the calculations executed by the software were divided to three points of the strip, head, body and tail bringing the individual results to each of these positions.

Oct 1, 2019

By John Anthony Vasquez

During the last years Riva Acciaio Verona has taken the decision to invest in the route of a fully automated meltshop. The aim is to reduce at the minimum the operator's intervention from the bucket preparation till the ladle transfer to the continuous casting bay. The foundation for achieving the goal is the introduction of innovative technological solutions (fully automated cranes for bucket charge in the EAF, robots for sampling, etc. The paper underlines how the different solutions are based on the best practices to improve operator's safety and describes the different steps of the project, the different solutions adopted and the results in terms of production, energy savings, cost reduction and improved safety. Details are presented for: scrap yard management and bucket preparation, EAFs centralized controls and related robots for auxiliary operations (sampling, EBT cleaning, scraper for slag door automation, complete mass & energy balance based on process control), LFs centralized controls and process integration.

Aug 16, 2017

By Ron Webber

With the difficult economic challenges currently facing the steel industry, it is essential to perform a complete analysis when determining which rolls to purchase. A properly designed “Total Cost of Ownership” model can result in significant savings. This paper will review the costs associated with rolls in both Hot Strip and Cold Strip Mills. The multitude of factors that must be considered in performing a complete analysis for the roll purchasing process will be discussed. Models for both Hot Strip and Cold Mills will be presented. Examples where traditional analysis can lead to expensive, incorrect decisions will be presented.

Oct 30, 2017

By Mauro Martins Machado

As misturadoras da UPG têm como finalidade produzir uma mistura de gases denominada HN, combinando proporcionalmente o Hidrogênio e Nitrogênio (75/25 e 5/95) para gerar a atmosfera de proteção para os fornos das linhas de zincagem, linhas de recozimento de chapas, forno de caixa e linha de recozimento contínuo de chapas. Os antigos analisadores Hidros 100 (Fisher Rosemount) e Thermomat (Fuji) que operavam nas misturadoras foram fabricados na década de 90 e apresentava baixa confiabilidade operacional, dificuldades de ajustes, falhas intermitentes de difícil diagnóstico e risco de misturas não controladas de Hidrogênio com Nitrogênio. Além disso, não possuíam mais suporte técnico do fabricante e nem sobressalentes para manutenção. Nesse cenário, este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a modernização desses equipamentos por analisadores atuais de fácil operação e configuração, manutenção simples e diagnóstico de falhas integrado e com maior confiabilidade, fator imprescindível para garantir a disponibilidade de produção. Os novos analisadores implantados fornecem análises mais precisas e confiáveis em tempo real, para o sistema de controle de correção da mistura do HN. Os resultados obtidos foram significativos para as atuais condições de funcionamento. Representando aumento da segurança operacional, redução dos custos de manutenção com o equipamento e gerando ganhos de produtividade e de competitividade para as áreas consumidoras na UPV.

Sep 25, 2017

By Oliver Schulz

This paper presents the latest references of the Siemens VAI slab casting technology. Following the connect & cast philosophy Siemens VAI has developed technological packages suitable for installation in existing casters of any original supplier, as well as for complete new machines. A major demand on new machines is to adapt quickly to different market demands. This requirement for flexibility can be divided into two actual trends. Firstly into casting a broad range of steel grades, thicknesses and width on the same machine and secondly having installed slab, bloom and billet caster in one steel plant to deliver all different types of needs on the market. Depending on the condition of the existing machine the focus of modernization ranges from the substitution of single components featuring state-ofthe-art technology to complete caster revamping projects. In this paper concepts and references for short machine outages and fast caster ramp-ups at moderate investment costs are presented.

Jul 30, 2018

By Enrico Tosolini

O controle da massa linear dos arames CA60 vem sendo tratado com máxima prioridade, devido ao constante esforço da indústria nacional de reduzir os custos e melhorar a eficiência de produção. O trabalho é um estudo teórico dos fatores físicos que influenciam na variação da massa linear. Para desenvolver a análise, o problema foi simplificado para reconduzi-lo a um problema linear de fácil análise e com parâmetros intuitivos para fácil aplicação dos conceitos nos problemas diários da produção.

Aug 16, 2017

By Patrik Bloemer

Reliable and accurate furnace bath level data during the melting process is invaluable for good decision making and furnace optimization, while obtaining such information rapidly and safely on a regular basis is of paramount importance. This paper shows how a melting process problem was identified as a concern, how a solution was sought and how a real-time measurement system was tested by simple modification to an existing temperature sampling manipulator. Also how, with furnace power on or off, taking reliable hot heel, fill and running levels could be used to assist melting control, aid decision making and improve safety.

Jul 30, 2018

By Christoph Sedivy

Industrie 4.0 is slowly but surely arriving in the melt shops. Furnaces are being equipped with more and more sensors, digital models are increasing the degree of automation, and information is being shared between different aggregates within the plant. Because the electrode control system plays a key role in electric steelmaking, it naturally assumes an important position in the melt shop’s Industrie 4.0 strategy. In addition to reliable, state-of-the-art core regulation functionality, monitoring and reporting tools and the ability to communicate with other equipment are also required. Therefore, the latest generation of our electrode control system, the Melt Expert, was developed based on Industrie 4.0 design principles. Intelligent plant condition diagnostics, performance monitoring, and user-defined reporting are essential modules in this new system. With these functionalities, electrode control systems are developing into the information and control center of the furnace. A newly developed software app brings most relevant process information to mobile devices. This feature allows steelmakers to keep an eye on the performance of their equipment anytime and anywhere. This paper describes the new features of the electrode control system and shares our customers’ operational experience. Our focus is on the practical aspects of plant status monitoring, KPI reporting, and diagnostic functionality as well as the improvements achieved.

Oct 30, 2017

By Alim Ullah

The paper discusses the necessity of upgrading low-iron containing ores, giving as an example, NML-Tata Steel Project in the Quebec-Labrador region of Canada. As cooling of pellets is generally a bottle-neck in most pelletizing plants, examples are given of the methods used to improve cooling in the existing plants and a simple, low-cost alternative, tested on a pot-grate system, is presented. The procedure described is applicable to sinter plants also. The trends in iron and steel production worldwide are then given, as well as the reasons for the increase in steel production by the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route. The stoichiometric and thermodynamic requirements for producing iron, irrespective of the process, are explained. The different ironmaking processes, especially the Direct Reduction (DR) ones are briefly discussed, outlining recent improvements made to some of them. The pros and cons of producing cooled DRI and Hot-Briquetted Iron (HBI) are given with predictions made for their future growth. An alternative to cold-briquetting of DRI fines is also discussed. Highlights of an ironmaking processes which is at the laboratory/pilot plant stage are given.

Aug 1, 2018

By Christoph Aichinger

A smart combination – Primetals Technologies developed the Circular Pelletizing Technology (CPT), which is a combination of the well-proven travelling-grate pelletizing technology with the design of a circular dip rail cooler of modern sinter plants. The overall space requirement and the installed weight for a CPT plant is significantly less compared to conventional technologies and by that CPT is a very attractive alternative for new projects.

Aug 16, 2017

By Ernst Lindemann

The SMS group has developed the ultrasound technology “HD scan” for inspection of the internal quality of as-cast products. This method of sample analysis requires less preparation work and is safer than the current, most common technique of etching and/or sulphur printing. Furthermore, this technology offers a three-dimensional view into the sample of the cast product and thus more representative information for a better quality evaluation. The internal quality evaluation can be performed automatically and objectively by software based on clear statistical methods. A quantitative centerline segregation rating can be assigned to each sample, based on the size and distribution of segregates detected by the unit. Internal crack statistic (length, position, orientation, etc.) and narrow side profile can also be measured. Grain macrostructure can also be visualized which allows for a potential optimization of casting parameters like strand cooling, soft reduction or electromagnetic stirring. The accuracy of the new method was proven by parallel metallographic investigations of more than 100 samples of different steel grades and sample shapes. Automatic defect evaluation and classification was compared against macroetching results. It was found that HD scan identified more defects and the visualization of the macro structure could be performed in more cases than with macro etching. All tests, comparisons, further developments and analyses for various steel producers and steel treatment companies have been conducted at the HD scan unit, located at the SMS group headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany (Figure 1). Based on the results, SMS group has designed a unit which can be used in industrial scale.

Aug 17, 2017

By Breno Totti Maia

In the present paper, a new energy balance equation was developed, considering the slag phase, in order to define the effects of jet penetration and determine a new value for the factor K. The factor K measure the resistance to momentum transference between exit nozzle and metallic bath. The experiments were performed based on the same conditions of the article used as a comparison. The results showed the same behavior between the experiments and it was possible to determine a new value for the factor K, which changed from the unit order for the metal phase system to hundredths order for the metal and slag phase systems. These results are considered unprecedented.

Aug 17, 2017

By Roberto Parreiras Tavares, Leonardo José Silva de Oliveira, Marcelo Moreira Furst Goncalves, Rodrigo Seara Martins

Os pós fluxantes estão continuamente sendo desenvolvidos para permitir que o processo de lingotamento contínuo possa gerar produtos de melhor qualidade superficial. Entretanto, a seleção e a avaliação do desempenho industrial desse insumo não são simples por envolver o conhecimento simultâneo de várias propriedades físico-químicas. Nesse sentido, desde que medido de forma adequada, o consumo do pó fluxante no molde é uma ferramenta útil para avaliar a estabilidade operacional. Assim, foi desenvolvido um sistema para quantificar o consumo específico dos pós fluxantes no molde para posteriormente correlacioná-lo com eventos que possam levar a desvios de qualidade superficial do produto lingotado.

Oct 1, 2019

By Andrea Donadon

This article introduces the Danieli Total Asset Management System, which involves 360 degrees service methods and equipment. Danieli Condition Monitoring System and Danieli Torque Monitoring System are fundamental to evaluate the conditions of the working components in heavy duty transmissions. The first one monitors the vibrations and the lubrication fluid conditions with the purpose to identify the presence of malfunctions, by detecting any variation of the signals from the standard values. The second one monitors the transmitted torque for each spindle and gearbox, with the aim of detecting any anomaly in torque distribution and magnitude, and evaluating the residual life of the mechanical parts, on the base of a dedicated fatigue damage algorithm. All these features are useful in avoiding serious damages to machines, facilities and people, but allow also planning the maintenance and overhaul activities with efficiency, in order to achieve the best plant availability and reliability. The data analysis is made by the IntelliCMS software, which interfaces with plant and Danieli operators and includes the possibility to cooperate by remote connections, simplifying service activities and support. All these features allow providing new full service programs, where the client is totally supported in maintenance, overhauls and substitutions. This is the best way to ensure the most efficient, high quality and reliable after sales assistance.

Aug 16, 2017