2012 December Issue
Full Table of Contents

Process Control & Automation

Air induction in iron- and steelmaking is essential to proper mill functionality. Computational fluid dynamic simulations can be used in the design and optimization of mill ventilation, thereby reducing total installed costs. A number of inlet louvers have been developed which maximize the natural throughput of air that is safely achieveable.

A detailed analysis of slab shrinkage behavior has been carried out by a solidification model for different casting conditions and steel grades to predict optimal machine taper. Results have been utilized to modify the casting machine taper in order to improve centerline slab quality. Instrumentation has been installed to monitor possible excessive loads on the machine segments. The solidification position can be tracked and used to help set up proper casting speeds and cooling strategy.

The AIST Process Benchmarker™  (APB) is a secure, online benchmarking tool for tracking key performance indicators between users engaged in the direct manufacturing of iron and steel. The APB unites steel producers in comparative technical benchmarking to improve the long-term sustainability of steel as the engineered material of choice for a diverse array of applications. This paper discusses the technology, methodology and approaches used in developing the APB and provides case studies of how different Technology Committees are using the system.

Quenched and partitioned (Q&P) steels are one family of steels that has received some recent interest for high-strength automotive applications. Previous Q&P steel research has usually focused on cold rolled and annealed products. In the current study, the thermomechanical profile was modified such that Q&P simulations were developed to characterize material as if it might be produced directly from a hot strip mill.

The Chemical Energy Control Module™ predicts, in real time, the temperature of steel and its carbon content. The system has already been implemented, and results include: lower energy consumption for over-running the furnace, augmenting furnace availability; improved slag basicity control to achieve ideal flux consumption and refractory protection; and reduced delays caused by metallic bath decarburization or oxidation requirements.

This article focuses on studies outlining steelmaking practices to engineer inclusions of interest in advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) steels. These studies show that the inclusion engineering with thermodynamic analysis, combined with inclusion characterization, could indeed play a role in mass production of sophisticated steel products.