Upgrade of Control System for the Furnace Section of 150 Mill of CJSC «Makeevka Metallurgical Works»

Purpose: To replace the out-of-date equipment of Level I automation. Development and implementation of Level II automation for automated control over the thermal conditions depending on the rolling rate and steel grade, as well as automation of such subsystems of the furnace section as the waste-heat boiler and evaporation cooling system based on the new control system.

Equipment of Level I automation to be replaced:

• Two boards for Simatic S5-155 controller.
• Twenty-five ET100U stations of distributed input-output.
• Two Remikont120 controllers for control over the thermal conditions.
• Station for visual display and control over the furnace section (installed at the station for billets weighing and furnace charging control).
• Station for visual display and control over the furnace thermal conditions (installed at the station for billets delivery control).

The project included the following:

1. New control programs for the furnace section machinery for Simatic S7-400 controllers.
2. Remikont-120 controllers were replaced by Simatic S7-300 controller. The program for it was developed anew as Remikont-120 was not a programmable controller, but served as a regulator.
3. Visualization programs for charging and delivery stations were developed on Scada-system WinCC by Siemens, and two SIMATIC Rack PC IL 43 industrial computers were installed.
4. New control cabinets and connecting diagrams were designed to replace the existing ones. Power documentation was drawn up for 18 automation cabinets. Total number of pages – over 2000, size – А3. The works were executed by the project department of RPC Donix.
5. Electric equipment of such well-known German companies as Siemens AG, LappKabel, Weidmuller, PhoenixContact, Rittal was used for the project. 18 automation cabinets were assembled, set and tested on the erection site of RPC Donix.
6. The new equipment was installed and connected during the overhaul of 150 mill furnace. The furnace was commissioned after overhaul with the new control system without any problems.
7. The new system proved to be reliable and efficient.  It also included such local subsystems as control over the waste-heat boiler and evaporation cooling system into the general automation system of the furnace section.
8. The automated control system for the furnace section is based on the mathematical model developed by heat engineers of RPC Donix; the model  which executes automatic control over the furnace thermal conditions depending on the rolling speed and steel grade.