Breakthrough in the intelligent manufacture of steel

CISDI has been awarded an intelligent manufacturing contract by Shaoguan Steel in Guangdong, China.

It will provide the intelligent manufacturing solution, general design and EPC-based services for the creation of an Intelligent Centre at Shaoguan - the first of its kind in China.

The project will create a big data centre, a series of online intelligent mathematical models and an upstream-BF integrated management and control platform. The intelligent production of upstream-BF units and energy media can then be achieved.

The Intelligent Centre will redefine Shaogang as a modernised and intelligent steel producer.

The scheme will reuse Shaogang’s ASU4 workshop, unifying its architectural style with the rest of the plant, and the centre will reduce the number of computers required from 335 sets to 123 - a 60 per cent reduction. It will also mean fewer operators are required. The number of posts will go down by 40 per cent, from 81 to 50.

Background information

Operating under the Baowu Group, Shaogang is a major steel base in southern China.

With over 40 years of experience, Shaogang has evolved into a large complex engaged in steel, logistics and trading.

The hi-tech enterprise is an important producer of steel plate for shipbuilding. Its annual output of plates, wire rods and bars can reach six million tonnes.

Fact file:

1) Intelligent manufacturing solution and general design

After surveying Shaogang’s current automation and intelligent application, CISDI will analyse where improvements can be made, formulate a tailored upgrade proposal and work out the general design.

Shaogang’s eight production procedures are stockyard, raw materials supply, coking, sintering, blast furnace, hot metal transport, environmental protection and energy media.

Aims: To achieve intelligent manufacturing of the upstream-BF units and energy media, by bringing Shaogang’s eight production procedures under integrated operations and control

To set up a big data centre, make online mathematic models and create an upstream-BF integrated management and control platform

2) Intelligent Centre

An industrial world first, this project will create a leaner production process for Shaogang. It will consist of upstream BF and energy medium integrated operation and control sub-centres.

Aims: To realise an integrated operation, and control and decision-making

Intelligent applications: Top-level re-design for process flow and organisation with the metallurgical engineering as a basis

Integrated control based on safety control and system integration

Intelligent decision-making system based on big data, artificial intelligence and IoT

Artist’s view of the Shaogang Intelligent Centre