Product category:
Metals processing plant and equipment
News Release from: ABB Automation Technologies | Subject: IndustrialIT platform control system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 May 2003
Stove control system ups blast furnace
performance
A new blast furnace stove control system, designed to improve performance and reduce operational costs, by completely eliminating the potential for human errors.
Stove control system improves blast furnace performance A new blast furnace stove control system, designed to improve performance and reduce operational costs, has been installed by ABB at the Kremikovtzi Corporation's integrated steelworks in Bulgaria in just four weeks, with a further 1.5 weeks used for commissioning ABB was originally given a four-month window for engineering, delivery, installation and commissioning, which the customer considered extremely tight, however this was surpassed by a wide margin
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Jul 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The new control system has reduced operational costs by completely eliminating the potential for human errors.
Additionally, the plant now only needs one operator per shift; due to the high degree of automation, the services of a shift gas technologist are no longer required.
Costs are further lowered through reduced maintenance and through the automatic regulation of gas and air, which increases efficiency and decreases the consumption of raw materials and electricity.
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The new stove control system is based on ABB's IndustrialIT platform.
The hardware includes four AC800M controllers with PM856 processor modules from the ControlIT product suite, power supply modules for 220/24 V and 200 S800L I/Os for each controller.
The controller cabinets were assembled in Bulgaria.
Kremikovtzi Corporation's integrated steelworks is one of Bulgaria's biggest industrial complexes.
Its 40 year-old production facilities are currently being modernised with a EUR 56.2 million investment.
This includes re-commissioning of the 11 year-old number one blast furnace, with a daily production capacity of 2,300 tonnes.
A blast furnace stove control system has to meet very exacting stability and reliability demands.
The blast furnace campaign can extend up to ten years without any interruptions and, therefore, it must be supplied continuously with hot blast from one of the stoves, while the others are being heated or are in the hot standby mode.
The ABB stove control system is based on ABB's standard Ethernet protocol, which not only meets these demands, but also, because it uses a fibre optic network, provides additional protection against the high level of electromagnetic disturbances that occur in steelworks.
The ABB system does not only provide real-time information but is also a complete control system, managing the entire operational sequence of the stove operation.
The blast furnace control room features two operator stations based on the OperateIT SCADA Portal.
The control software, Control Builder, has been installed in one of the operator stations for supervision and maintenance of the control system.
Each stove is equipped with nine valves, one blower fan with a variable speed drive and one control valve for the gas.
Two PID controllers in each AC800M control the air and gas flows (gas/air ratio).
Each object has its own faceplate on the operator station screen.
This presents, in real time, the technical and engineering settings, trend curves of important analogue signals, a list of alarms and a list of events.
An overview display shows all the stoves, while each stove has a detailed display.
The system has three normal operating modes: isolated, heating of the stoves and heating of the air blast, as well as a service mode.
The AC800M controllers are responsible for executing the changeovers between the different operating modes.
These can be executed in four different ways: manual changeover by the operator from a local control board; individual changeover from the operator station; cyclical changeover from the operator station; and automatic changeover.
ABB supplied the low-voltage distribution and control equipment for the various stove auxiliaries.
This includes incoming circuit breakers and bus ties of Isomax S6S type, with automatic changeover to ensure an uninterruptible power supply.
Each object such as valves and fans is supplied and controlled via a relay-based feeder.
This arrangement provides the necessary protection of the loads and cables, with coordinated discrimination between the upstream and the downstream circuit breakers.
It also ensures the reliable transfer of data to the control system.
The low voltage equipment was assembled and commissioned locally in Bulgaria under the supervision of ABB.
Prior to the installation of the new ABB control system, the changeover of the stoves was done manually by actuating relevant valves and fans.
With the new control system all the necessary activation of these objects is accomplished via commands from the control system.
"Our task is merely to follow the indications and to monitor the process," says Eng.
Nikolay Todorov, Chief Gas Technologist at Kremikovtzi.
"In my opinion the system is user-friendly.
This simplifies our work and the number of actions is minimized." ABB trained the blast furnace personnel including on-the-job training during the commissioning of the control system.
The contract for revamping the stoves was awarded to the Czech company Virkovice.
It built one completely new stove and modernized the burning system of two others, replacing the old burners with ceramic.
ABB was awarded the stove control system because it "was ready to take full responsibility for the complex execution of the project," says Eng.
Hristo Valkanov, Commissioning Team Manager and Deputy Manager with responsibility for the engineering activities at Kremikovtzi.
"ABB's experience and good references of projects relating to burning processes were also important factors.".
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