AISTECH 2010 Presented by RAD-CON, Inc Michael W.

McDonaldVice President Operations

TAKINGBATCH ANNEALING OPTIMIZATIONTO THENEXTLEVEL.

Abstract
MoreefficientBAFoperationnotonlyincreasesthroughputandprofitabilitybutalso improvesschedulingandeffectivenessofdownstreamoperations.Withthecurrentuseof softwareforstacking,heatingandcoolingcycleoptimization,annealfacilitiesareachieving significantefficiencies.

Yet,todaymorethanever,theneedtosqueezeoutmoreateveryturniscritical.

Sowhatcanbeconsideredthenextgenerationinannealoptimization?Andhowcanmore outputbeobtainedwithoutaddingmanpowerorequipment?

Thecurrentfocusofoptimizationtypicallyemphasizesimprovingsoftwareinvolvedwith inventorymanagementandheating/coolingcyclemanagement.Butintakingabroaderviewof theannealshop,anewoptimizationmodelmoredemonstrativelydirectsthediverseactivities ontheshopfloortooptimizeoperations,craneandequipment,andflooroperatorandgeneral managerefficiency.

Therearetwostepsforthisnew,nextgenerationoptimization.

FirstisShopOptimizationwhichutilizesheating,coolingandstackingmodeloutputsbut goesfurtherbydeterminingthemostefficientuseofmanandmachinebyidentifyingand minimizingthedelayoftheconstraintresource.

SecondisOperationsPlanningwhichdirectsresourceactivitiesaccordingtotheShop Optimizationoutput,suchasrealtimetaskassignmentstothecrane,floor,andfurnace operators.Withtheadditionofacrane(locator),navigationalfunctionalityisavailablethat

maximizesefficiencyofcranemovement.Together,thisnewmodelprovidesthehighest utilizationofassetsintheBAF.

ThisnewmodelsqueezesmoreoutofHNorhydrogenBAF,eventhoseoperatingamixture ofequipmentmanufacturers.

RADCONwillpresentthebenefitsoftheirShopOptimizationandOperationsPlanning softwaretobeinstalledaspartoftheBAFportionoftheNewCRMprojectatSAILsBokaro SteelPlant.

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Introduction
Toremaincompetitiveinthecurrenteconomicclimate,steelcompaniesneedtofocustheir attentiononthecostofproduction.Thischallengewillbecomplexastheeconomyrecovers withreshapedmarketsandasnewandidledsteelcapacityisbroughtbackonline.Theability tobeflexibleandoperateefficientlyduringthesedynamicmarketconditionswillbekeyfactors toturningaprofit.

SAILsprojectinBokaroforanewColdRollingMill(CRM)complexincludescuttingedge automationtocontroloperatingcostswhilemaintainingtheflexibilitytoadapttochangesin themarket.Themill,whichisdesignedforautomotiveapplications,willutilizeRADCONsBatch AnnealFurnace(BAF)modelingcapabilitiestoeasilyshiftproductmixwithoutequipment changesorproductiondisruptions.

BokarowilloperatewiththenewCAPSShopOptimizationModelwhichbuildsonthe processmodelspreviouslydevelopedbyRADCONtooptimizetheheatingandcoolingtimesof thecoilsaswellasthestackingarrangementofcharges.ShopOptimizationtakesabroaderview oftheannealshoptoincludetheequipment,cranes,andoperatingpersonnel.Themodelnot onlycreatesaplantooptimizetheprocessbutalsoimplementstheplanthroughrealtime communicationstothecranes,transfercars,andpersonnel.

Thisnewsoftwarefurtheroptimizestheprocesstomaximizethroughputcapacity,minimize operatingcosts,andmaintainthehighestlevelofmechanicalpropertyconsistency.

BAFOptimization
Therearethreelayersofoptimizationthatapplytotheannealshop,eachlayerbuildingon theprevious.Thefirstlayeraddressesthecoilandcontroloftheheatingandcoolingprocessing manner.ThesecondlayerofBAFOptimizationaddressesthegroupingofindividualcoilsinto batchesorcharges,consideringeachindividualcoilsneedsaswellasthechargeasawhole. Finallythethirdlayertakesintoaccountthechargesalongwiththeequipmentandmanpower intheshoptoarrangeandmanagethe completeshop.Itisfromthisthird layerthatnewefficienciesarebeing achievedintheBAFthroughthe additionofoptimizationmodeling.

Theactivitiesaddressedbyeachof theselayersarehandledateveryshop witheithermanualdecisionmakingor withtheuseofproductionmodels. RADCONsComputerizedAnnealing

Figure1:BAFOptimizationLayers

ProcessSoftware(CAPS)whichisusedtoprocessover50%ofallbatchannealedsheetsteel inNorthAmericahandleseachoftheselayerswithdifferentsoftwaremodules.RADCONs newestsoftwareimprovestheefficiencyofLayer3byminimizingtheprocessingtimeofcoils withinBAFandthereforereducingworkinprocessinventory,increasingpredictabilityofthe system,andmostimportantlymaximizingthethroughputcapacityoftheshop.

ImprovingShopPerformancewithOptimizationModeling
Whenshopmanagementishandledmanually,therearealargenumberofvariablesforthe personneltoconsiderinordertooptimizetheoperation.Thepersonmanagingtheshopis typicallyjusttryingtokeepeverythingmovingandhaslittletimeorabilitytodevelopand manageaplanmuchbeyondthecurrentturn.Thelargertheshop,themoredifficultthisisto coordinateandthemoreinefficienciesthatsneakin.

RADCONsapproachincreasesshopcapacityinsteadofjustmanagingtaskswithinthe shop.SinceCAPShasinformationabouttheshopsuchasprocessingtimesforeachcharge, equipmentavailability,manpower,aswellasproductivitytargets,aplancanbedevelopedand implementedthatnotonlykeepseverythingmovingforthecurrentturnbutreducesdelay time,shortensprocessingtime,decreasesworkinprocessinventoryandincreasesshop capacity.

ShopOptimizationPlan
FirstanoptimizedShopPlanisgenerated.Thesoftwareusestheheating,coolingand stackingmodeloutputstodeterminethemostefficientuseofresources.Theresourcewiththe leastcapacityisdeterminedfromthecurrentinventoryandequipmentinformationmaintained inCAPS.Protectingthisbottleneckresourcebecomestheprimaryfocusoftheplan.

TheShopPlanisdevelopedusingMixedIntegerLinearProgramming(MILP)whichisa techniquefordeterminingthemostefficientmethodforallocatingresourceswhilestillmeeting allofthesystemconstraintsorrules.InLPanobjectivefunctionisdevelopedandtheLPsolver isaskedtoeitherminimizeormaximizethefunction.Theresultisasolution that minimizesdelay timeofthebottleneckresourcewhichwillgivethemaximumshopthroughput.

TheoperatorviewstheplanthroughaGantt chartviewofthebaseoverviewscreen.This chartshowsablendofthecurrentstatusofthe shopalongwiththeplannedfuturearrangement ofchargesandequipment.Theoperatoris allowedtomodifytheplantoaccommodate trials,maintenance,orotherspecificrequests.

Figure1:ShopPlanningOverviewScreen

OperationsPlanning
Nowthataplanisdeveloped,itneedstobeimplemented.TheOperationsPlanningmodule directsresourceactivitiesaccordingtotheShopPlan,suchasrealtimetaskassignmentstothe crane,floor,andfurnaceoperators.Withtheadditionofacrane(locator),navigational functionalityisavailablethatmaximizesefficiencyof cranemovement.

ThesoftwareworkslikeanavigationsystemforBAF operation,planningthesequenceofactivitiesforthe operators,cranes,andtransfercarstoavoidconflictsthat woulddelaythecompletionofatask.

Forexample,inashopwithmultiplecranes,thecrane
Figure2:CraneTaskList

activitymustbecoordinatedtomakesurethattheydonot interferewitheachotherandmoreimportantlythattheywork

togethertocompletethehighprioritytasks.Eachcranehasatasklistofitemstobecompleted thatisdynamicallyupdatedbasedontaskcompletionandothereventsintheshop.Ifoneofthe cranesistakenoutofservicethenthetasksareredistributed.

SimilarinformationisprovidedtotheflooroperatorviaahandheldPortableDigital Assistant(PDA).Sincetheinformationisavailabletotheoperatorwhiletheyareontheshop floor,theyareabletospendmoretimecompletingassignedtasksinsteadofconstantly checkingbacktothecontrolroomtodecideonthenexttask.Also,sincethecomputeris determiningthetasksequencetheoperatorwillbeassignedthepropertasksrequiredtomeet theShopPlanrequirements.

Figure4:OperatorReceivingMessageonPDA

ThePDAisalsousedtocollectinformationrelatingtotheoperators activity.Coilsarescannedtoavoididentitymixupsandmanualtaskssuch asverifyingtanklevelsorsafetychecksareinputfromthelocationthatthe

activityiscompletedinsteadofrecordedlater.Thisallowseachoperatortobe moreproductivewhichcanreducethenumberofoperatorsnecessarytorun theshop. Layer3optimization,withRADCONsShopOptimizationandOperations Planningmodules,providesthehighestutilizationofhumanandequipment assetsintheBAF.LikealloftheCAPSmodels,ShopOptimizationincreases throughput,decreasesoperatingcosts,andimprovesproductquality.

Figure5:OperatorScanningCoil Identification

BokaroBAF
BokaroSteelPlant,aSteelAuthorityofIndiacompany,locatedinJharkhand,INDIAis currentlyinstallingacompletehydrogenbelltypebatchannealingfacilitythatwillbethemost advancedBAFintheworld,intermsofoverallproductivityefficiency.Whencompleted,the facilitywillprocess860,000tonsperyearofcoldrolledsteel,primarilydestinedforthe automotivemarket,usingonly47bases.Theproductmixofgradesisasfollows:

Mix[%] 10 20 30 20 10 5 5

Grade CQ DQ DDQ EDDQ IF HSLA BH

Description CommercialQuality DrawingQuality DeepDrawingQuality ExtraDeepDrawingQuality InterstitialFree HighStrengthLowAlloy BakeHard

RADCONisoverseeingthecompleteproductionandturnkeyinstallationofthecompanys H2SHC(100%HydrogenSuperHighConvection)annealingsystemconsistingof:

47baseswith2mchargediameterand6.5mstackingheight;

26mixedgasfiredfurnaces;

20air/watercoolers;

49basepostcoolingfacilityfordehumidifiedair cooling;
o Allassociatedcontrols.

Theprojectfeaturesthetalleststackfor508mmIDcoils,utilizingRADCONsuniquehigh pressureSuperHighConvectionsystem.ThesystematBokarocombinestheleading convectionsystemwiththeleadingthermalmodelingsystem,CAPS.TheShopOptimization systemmergesequipmentandmodels,tomaximizeoutputofthecombination.Inadditionto productivity,thematchingofcoilsatscheduletimealsoreducesvariabilitygivingconsistent qualitythatshouldgivepausebeforecommittingtosystemsbasedonCAL.

Managinganannealshopofthissizerequiresdetailedandsophisticatedsystemsand controls.Therefore,asanintegralpartoftheproject,theBokarofacilitywillutilizeCAPS OptimizationSoftware,tocontroltheentireannealprocess.Thecompletesoftwaresuite includesCAPSmodelsfor,Stacking,HeatingandCoolingaswellasthenewShopOptimization model.CAPSinterfaceswiththefacilityslevel3datatoscheduleeverymovementofeach coilfromthetimeitpassestheannealbaydoorsthrougheveryphaseoftheprocessincluding instructionsforcranesandcoilcaroperatorstoensurefullutilization.Thesoftwarewillprovide Bokarowithoptimizedcoilselectionandstackcharging,reducedcycletimesandmaximum facilityandmanpowerproductivity.

AlargeannealingshopliketheoneoperatedatBSLrequiresdiligenceinordertofullyutilize theassets.Planningfortheutilizationofthe47bases,26furnacesandcoolers,threecranes, multipletransfercars,anddifferentlevelsofpersonnelisdonewithRADCONsShop 10

OptimizationmoduleinCAPS.

CoilsarereceivedfromthePickleLineTandemColdMill(PL/TCM)andElectrolyticCleaning Line(ECL)conveyorsandtrackedbyCAPSuntilthecoilsareremovedbytheSkinPassMill (SPM)fromthesoftcoilstoragearea.AllequipmentandcoillocationsaremaintainedinCAPS throughcommunicationtoandfromthecranesandtransfercars.CAPScoordinatesthe activitiesfortheentryconveyors,cranes,andtransfercarstomovecoilstothedifferent processingandstoragelocations.

Coilsareautomaticallybuiltintothermodynamicallyefficientchargestoimprove throughputandalsoreducecoiltocoiltemperaturevariability,givingthemostfavorable mechanicalpropertyperformance.ThechargesareplannedonabasebytheShopOptimization Modelandasdiscussedabove,tasksaredistributedtotheappropriatecraneandfloor personneltoprocessthecharge.

AtBokaromostoftheoperatortasksareautomaticallyverifiedbythesystemwithoutthe needforoperatorinputofinformationintoCAPS.Forexample,whentheoperatorisaskedto disconnectthefurnace,thePLCnotifiesCAPSwhenthetaskiscomplete.Thisallowsthe OperationsPlannertopermitthecranetomovethefurnace.CAPSalsoknowstheexact locationofthefurnaceandsincethecranehasapositioningsystem,CAPSsendsthefurnace coordinatestothecraneandthecraneissenttothatlocation.Thiseliminatesthepossibilityof movingafurnacethathasnotbeendisconnectedandalsominimizesthewaittimebetweenthe tasks.

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Conclusion
TheintroductionoftheShopOptimizationmodeladdressesthefinalBAFlayer managementoftheshoptomaketheshopequipmentandpersonnelasproductiveand efficientaspossible.ThesoftwareallowstheBAFtooperatewithfeweremployees,provides significantlyimprovedcommunicationandassignmentoftasks,reducesincidentsofhuman error,improvesequipmentandmanpowerutilization,increasesthroughputcapacity,lowers productioncosts,andimprovesqualitylevels.Inaddition,BAFproductionbecomesmore predictableandeffectivewhichenhancestheefficiencyandeffectivenessofdownstream operations.TheShopOptimizationmodelcanbeaddedtoexistingshopsornewRADCON installationsthatutilizeCAPSHeating,CoolingandInventoryManagementmodules.

AlloftheCAPSmodelshelptoimprovemechanicalproperties.TheHeatingModel accuratelycalculatescoretemperatureofeachcoilinthechargeanddynamicallyendsthe heatingphasewhenthecriticalcoilhasreceivedenoughheat.TheStackingModelbalancescore temperaturerequirementstobuildchargeswiththeleastvariationattheendoftheprocess. Finally,ShopOptimizationsynchronizesmanandmachinetoensurethatfurnacesarenotleft onbasestoovercookthesteel.

TheRADCONsuppliedBAFandCAPSoptimizationsuitewillallowBokaroSteeltoprovide highlyconsistentproductqualitytotheautomotivemarketatlowerdeliveredcostthan competitorsusingContinuousAnnealLines(CAL).Bokaroswillingnesstoembracethisnew technologyisindicativeofIndiasprogressiveapproachandtheresultingindustrialgrowththat ishelpingtoraisetheworldoutofitsrecession.FortheIndiansteelcompanies,thisgrowthwill meanopportunitiestodevelopnewmarketsandexpandproduction.Theinevitableadditionof

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coldrollingcapacitywilldrivethedevelopmentofassociatedannealingfacilitieswhichwill significantlybenefitfromimprovedcontrolandoptimization.

RADCONhasaprovenrecordofprovidingeffectiveoptimizationsoftwareforBAFs.The ShopOptimizationModelcontinuesthattraditionwithnextgenerationprocessmanagement.

www.RAD-CON.com
Phone: +1.440.871.5720 Fax: +1.216.221.1135

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