Measurement of thickness of oxygen lance skull in LD converters using artificial vision

In the steelmaking process by conversion of pig iron into an LD converter, it is necessary to inject oxygen through a metal lance. During this process, part of the slag accumulates in the body of the lance, forming the so-called skull. The presence of this skull on the copper nozzle of the lance or on its body is critical, because in the stage of its own use, there will be a heating and possible fusion of the skull, helping to make the fusion of the copper possible, causing in crevices where the water would flow into the converter, thus increasing the risk of explosion. The skull on the surface of the lance can also create a layer of enough volume to prevent the movement of the lance through the flanges located on the converters. Such occurrence and practice of removal impair operator safety, the environment and productivity. In this project, a system for measuring the thickness of the oxygen lance skull of LD converters by computational vision was developed, then the actions related to the maintenance of the lance can be taken in a timely manner, thus avoiding possible problems.