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

Author

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  • Silvia Maria Zanoli

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Crescenzo Pepe

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Lorenzo Orlietti

    (Alperia Green Future, Via Dodiciville 8, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Maria Zanoli & Crescenzo Pepe & Lorenzo Orlietti, 2023. "Synergic Combination of Hardware and Software Innovations for Energy Efficiency and Process Control Improvement: A Steel Industry Application," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:10:p:4183-:d:1150412
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mariusz Niekurzak & Jerzy Mikulik, 2021. "Modeling of Energy Consumption and Reduction of Pollutant Emissions in a Walking Beam Furnace Using the Expert Method—Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Bo Gao & Chunsheng Wang & Yukun Hu & C. K. Tan & Paul Alun Roach & Liz Varga, 2018. "Function Value-Based Multi-Objective Optimisation of Reheating Furnace Operations Using Hooke-Jeeves Algorithm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Yonmo Sung & Seungtae Kim & Byunghwa Jang & Changyong Oh & Taeyun Jee & Soonil Park & Kwansic Park & Siyoul Chang, 2021. "Nitric Oxide Emission Reduction in Reheating Furnaces through Burner and Furnace Air-Staged Combustions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Kun Li & Huixin Tian, 2018. "Integrated Scheduling of Reheating Furnace and Hot Rolling Based on Improved Multiobjective Differential Evolution," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-19, November.
    5. Schmitz, N. & Sankowski, L. & Kaiser, F. & Schwotzer, C. & Echterhof, T. & Pfeifer, H., 2021. "Towards CO2-neutral process heat generation for continuous reheating furnaces in steel hot rolling mills – A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
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