The Challenge: To modernize a fifty year old Hot Strip Mill by upgrading the drives and controls,
and automating a large portion of the production process. This turnkey project
also required that it be completed while the equipment remained 100% fully
operational (except for the weekly 8-12 hour maintenance downturns) and that its
execution be sequential, with each transition to new equipment being completely reversible.
The mill itself consisted of five reheat furnaces, a roughing mill, a coilbox, a six
stand finishing mill, a laminar spray system and two (2) downcoilers.
The Solution:
Brock Solutions provided a complete range of services for the project including:
- Overall Project Management
- Drives engineering (hardware & software) and
manufacturing
- Controls Engineering
- Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Systems Simulation and Testing
- Control Panel and Operator Desks Manufacturing
- Construction Management and Supervision
- Installation
- Site Testing, Commissioning and Start-up
- Training
Functionality
- Zero Downtime Methodology: OA fast reversible implementaation during every
conversion ensured that there were no project costs or sales loss due to
extension of commissioning window.
- Shifting into Automatic: Level 2 functionality and recipe system allowed for consistent
operator setup. Bar Tracking and Data Acquisition System provides
traceability and genealogy for production and quality personnel.
- Interfacing with the Operator: All operator controls were integrated with the mill.
A simulation model allowed operators to run the steel mill during
testing and training.
- Controls: Removed
clutches by introducing accurate electronic positioning on screws, side
guide positioning with ‘change on the fly’ master-slave algorithm. Moved
analog and manual controls into programmable environment for easy
modification, tuning and troubleshooting.
- Simulating the System: System simulation ensured swift and problem-free integration for
each section of the mill upgrade. Proven software and communications
allowed large equipment changeovers in short downturns
- Laminar Sprays: Changed older analog controls and computers to simpler programmable
system with new cooling algorithms which made more consistent cooling
models
- Driving Force: Use of Brock’s SAFphire technology allows complex regulation
and coordination of various drives within a single controller. Putting all complex math
in SAFphire and communicating over a high-speed link simplified PLC programming and
modifying.
The Benefits: The benefits generated by the complete system upgrade were as follows:
- Reduced hours/ton by 60%
- Significant gains in production
- Minimized impact of loss of skills/experience of
retiring operators through automation
- Improved reliability of equipment/production
- Crash logs simplifies task of diagnosing cause
of cobbles or equipment breakdowns
- Improved product quality by automating setup, adding new laminar spray algorithms and new AGC
