Ladle furnace on-line reckoner for prediction and control of steel temperature and composition

AbstractIn the present day competitive market scenario, steel producers are striving for high speed continuous casting with stringent and consistent quality as well as reduced production cost. The ladle furnace (LF) is a key unit for achieving the above objectives during secondary steelmaking. Proper control of process parameters during LF processing of liquid steel is essential. The paper reports development of a model based advisory system, called ladle furnace on-line reckoner (LFOR), for the prediction and control of temperature and composition of steel in a LF. The thermal and chemistry models employed in the LFOR system are based on simplified physics, material and heat balance, and statistical analysis of plant data. The LFOR system is provided with graphical user interface (GUI) to display the predicted composition and temperature profile. The control advice displayed on the screen provides guidance for arcing and addition to achieve the target temperature and composition. The LFOR system has been...