Vacuum Degasser Sampling System
HMI & PLC Design & Programming
A major steel producer in Hamilton, Ontario had a steelmaking improvement program that consisted of over thirty (30) projects that were completed during a period of three (3) years between 2005 and 2008. These projects involved both steelmaking lines; the Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) line and the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) line. The projects ranged in complexity, size, cost and duration.
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The following is a description of the Upgrade of the Sampling System for the Vacuum Degasser.
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Once a ladle has been filled with molten steel, the ladle is brought to the Ladle Metallurgical Facility (LMF) so that the steel can be further processed to ensure it meets the quality standards associated to the product being produced. In some cases, the ladle is placed in the degas tank. Following the degassing of the steel, a temperature/oxygen reading of the steel is taken and a solid sample is taken and sent to the LMF lab for analysis.
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Originally, the sampling unit had a dedicated lance for solid sampling and one for temperature/oxygen sampling. Therefore, if a lance was malfunctioning or damaged, the sample type associated to the lance in question could not be taken. Due to the fact that a temperature/oxygen sample was imperative to ensure the steel was within the required parameters, it was not an option to forego taking the sample. Therefore, a manual temperature/oxygen lance was in place to allow the operator to open a port and lower the lance manual to obtain this sample. This however was a safety concern as it exposed the operator to extreme heat and gases.
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The degas tank sampling equipment upgrade project goal was to both improve the sample quality and improve the reliability of the sampling system itself. The upgraded system allowed for dual functionality lances, which allowed for both solid samples and temperature/oxygen samples on either lance. Due to this built in redundancy, the reliability of the sampler increase and the manual lance and port where removed, thereby improving operator safety. |
In addition to the dual functionality, argon purging was added for the purpose of solid sampling. This addition ensured that the solid sample taken was void of an inclusions, thereby improving the sample quality, which in turn allowed for better control of the process.
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JNE Automation’s scope of work for this project was as follows:
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• Engineering design for the mounting of the new sampling unit |
• Control system design for the integration of the new sampling unit |
• PLC programming (Rockwell RSLogix software) |
• HMI programming (Rockwell PanelBuilder32 software) |
• Onsite installation support/supervision |
• Onsite commissioning and operator training |
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