TrackOpt - TrackOpt - Consistent ladle tracking for optimization of steel plant logistics and product quality

Initial situation:

Industry 4.0 will not become a reality in the steel industry until solutions are available to track all intermediate and end products along the entire steel production chain and beyond to the end customer. Due to the complexity, this is a real challenge and definitely not solved in several areas of steel production. In steel plants, recording of ladle positions is usually done manually and thus error-prone. A mix-up of ladles is a safety hazard and a quality issue.

Project targets:

The aim of TrackOpt is a consistent factory-wide tracking of the ladles in use in a steel plant from tapping to casting. This shall be realised by through-process ladle tracking with an automated system that reliably monitors ladle movement and delivers online feedback about ladle positions to process control and production planning systems.

Innovative approaches:

The following innovative tools were realised in the pilot and demonstration project TrackOpt:

  • A camera-based solution for wireless tracking of steelmaking ladles equipped with individual plates for unique identification
  • A tracking software and a new user interface to display graphically the positions of all ladles as well as their predicted ageing/wear status and to provide detailed information about the ladle and the actual heat
  • A ladle utilisation optimisation tool for predicting the ageing status of the ladle using AI-based technologies and a platform for analysing ladle data derived from a Level 2 database and a thermal database
  • A simulation engine based on a discrete-event model to optimize ladle logistics

Benefits for the industry:

These new tools allow to optimise production processes, not only the one of liquid steel production, and to avoid ladle mix-up. They also support to avoiding a break-through of a ladle, being strictly related to security matters, productivity and costs. Applying the tracking and ladle utilisation optimisation tools enable an increase of the ladle life and proper management of the ladle focused on its refractories. Thus, overall, the project leads to reduced material consumption (refractory lining) and reduced energy consumption (less heating necessary after new relining or in ladle furnace) as well as increased safety.

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