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Siemens to Modernize Control System in Wuhan Hot Rolling Mill

03/29/2011 - Wuhan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. has engaged Siemens to bring the process control technology in its hot rolling mill no. 2 up to the state-of-the-art.

Wuhan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. (Wisco), China, has engaged Siemens to bring the process control technology in its hot rolling mill no. 2 up to the state-of-the-art.
 
Wisco's hot rolling mill no. 2 at Wuhan, in the Hubei Province, was brought into operation in 2003. With a capacity of about 4.5 million tonnes per annum, the rolling mill produces hot strip ranging in width from 700 to 2130 millimeters and in thickness between 1.6 and 25.4 millimeters. Equipped with a Siemens automation solution based on the Siroll HM plant concept, the mill has to date employed a Simatic PCS7 V5.2 for the control system, while the system software has run on Windows NT computers.
 
Wisco decided to completely modernize the process control system in order to keep pace with the rapid development of PC hardware and to be able to take advantage of the latest Simatic PCS7 functions and the Siroll components in use. This will be done by upgrading the control system to Simatic PSC7 version V7. In future, Windows XP will be the operating system on the PCs, and the visualization and development servers will run under Windows 2003 Server. Once the control system has been upgraded, it will be easier to integrate new automation components, plant-specific applications and technological control systems.
 
The upgrade concept has been designed so that the existing, tailor-made automation solution and the associated engineering can be taken over with minimal modifications. With little change to the operating philosophy, there will be no need for plant personnel to undergo lengthy training.
 
The complete automation, including the components that will not be replaced, will be set up for engineering and system tests in the testing panel, which will enable the actual upgrade to be carried out quickly in the plant itself. A fall-back strategy is available to ensure that the rolling mill can start up production, even in case the upgrade isn’t successful.
 
Modernization of Wisco’s hot rolling mill will be based on a concept that has already been successfully used to upgrade ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG's TAKO tandem cold rolling mill in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth, Germany. The new control system was brought into operation within the shortest possible time, and it passed the final availability tests without fault.
 
Wisco’s control system upgrade will be carried out within a period of ten days in summer 2012.
 
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading international supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 204,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2010 total sales of approximately €34.9 billion.
 
The Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities comprising the business activities of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, Water Technologies and Industrial Technologies. Activities include engineering and installation, operation and service for the entire life cycle. With around 29,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Solutions posted sales of €6.0 billion in fiscal year 2010.