Factorysense Steel Control

Overview
Application
  • Plan production rates of steel making plants
  • Align iron production steel making production with continuous casting
  • Define production routes and assign heats to machines
  • Featuring electric arc furnace and converter steel making plants
Optimization
  • Optimization for heat pacing calculation
  • Calculate casting speeds within feasible ranges
  • Optimization algorithms based on mixed integer and linear programming solvers
Advanced Visualization
  • Interactive Gantt chart for best assignment to available machines
  • Steel production, steel consumption, and casting speed charts
  • Interactive histograms to visualize statistical distributions of key performance indicators
  • Analysis grid for key performance indicators
Connectivity
  • Export of Transport orders to csv file for later import into Factorysense Crane Simulation
  • Export of Factorysense 4D transport segments, for purposes of 3D visualization
Features
Number of Teeming Ladles

Based on production lead times, transport times, and ladle maintenance activities the required number of hot teeming ladles is calculated for a production schedule.
Ladle Furnace Parking Time Optimization

Ladle furnace parking times are considered as part of the mathematical optimization. By that longer casting sequences can be maintained without restranding, especially in case of unbalanced liquid steel supply. Minimum and maximum parking time constraints are respected by the model.
Twin Machines

The Factorysense Steel Control data and optimization model supports twin secondary metallurgy vessels i.e. cases where electrodes or vacuum supply are shared between two treatment positions. Considerable overlapping of tasks on different positions is allowed up to predefined limits.
Casting Speed Optimization

In case of temporary bottlenecks in the liquid steel supply to casting machines, caster production can not be maintained continuously. The casting sequence has to be interrupted which can lead to significant production loss. These situations are indicated in the production schedule. Optimization algorithms are applied to resolve the problem by varying the casting speed per strand within feasible ranges. Deviations from optimium target speeds are shown in the strand visualization.
Hot Metal Dumping

In cases where iron supply by means of blast furnaces is relevant to the simulation study, the hot metal stock is calculated. The hot metal stock is considered to be stored in hot metal torpedo ladles or in a mixer aggregate. The hot metal dump rate can be used as indicator to decide if hot metal production is aligned well with steel production.
Flexible Transport Model

The Factorysense transport model supports definition of transport routes from sources over ladle cars, portal cranes, and buffer positions. Even movement of ladles through several bays is possible. This allows to investigate plant layouts using multiple halls of the plant.
Ladle Car Scheduling

Ladle cars are assiged based on our transport model.
Ladle Car Optimization

Discrete optimization can be applied to avoid temporary bottlenecks at ladle cars as good as possible.
Key Performance Indicators

Steel plant specific key performance indicators are calculated in order to allow comparison of different scenarios. Interactive histograms are used to represent key performance indicators.
Gantt Color Maps

Gantt color maps are used to draw attention to hot spots of the production schedule. Interesting areas are indicated using color gradients from light blue to purple. Color maps are availayble for key performance indicators like Heat in Ladle Time, Relative and Absolute Transort Duration, Transport Distance, Parking Time, and Optimization Shadow Price.
Statistics Grid

Statistical parameters such as minimum and maximum values, as well as averages and standard deviations are calculated for various key performance indicators.
Automatic Scenario Reports

Factorysense Steel Control allows to easily export standardized PDF reports for a scenario. The automatic report export feature is an enabler for considerable time savings in an iterative study process. The output can be used as study documentation or presentation slides. At the same time constantly high report quality can be achieved, no matter who is preparing documentation.