WO2012028422A1 - Method for the automated control and/or regulation of a metallurgical installation, and apparatus for carrying out the method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the automated control or regulation of a metallurgical installation, characterized in that the installation can be operated in a saving mode as a departure from the regular installation mode of operation, in which the consumption of electrical power and/or of media is reduced in comparison with the regular installation mode of operation, and to an apparatus or a software module for carrying out this method.

Description

 Method for the automated control and / or regulation of a metallurgical plant and device for carrying out the method

The invention relates to a method for the automated control and / or regulation of a metallurgical plant.

From JP 2009 292 066 A an injection molding machine is known as a metallurgical plant, which is equipped with a control device for an energy-saving mode of operation in a predetermined standard mode of operation.

EP 0 683 593 A2 discloses a telecommunication system with a power saving mode. With the help of a control device and additional control means at least partial areas are controlled in a reduced energy consumption in the presence of energy-saving information. The energy-saving information is formed, for example, with the aid of a time device present in the telecommunications system and an energy-saving routine implemented. As a result, such a telecommunications system to be operated in the night hours or weekends in a power-saving mode.

An apparatus and a method for reducing the energy consumption of a machine or a plant, in particular in automation technology, are described in EP 2 149 828 A2. It is assumed that powered-on machines consume energy even if they do not perform any action. In order to reduce the energy consumption, the only possibility for an operator of the machine is to switch off the entire machine or only the power unit of the machine. When switching off However, important information can be lost throughout the machine. This particularly applies to information stored in a volatile memory. Therefore, to avoid loss of information, the machine can not be turned off in any situation. In addition, a restart of the machine takes a long time, and often all the necessary data for the situation on the machine are no longer available. Furthermore, in the specific situation when switching off, unreliable reactions of the actuators of the machine may occur.

According to EP 2 149 828 A2 a device is disclosed which comprises a deactivating device. This responds to a predetermined deactivation signal to provide a deactivation routine. A monitoring device is provided in order to transfer the machine into a power-saving mode in accordance with a predetermined deactivation rule.

According to the state of the art in the field of metallurgical plants, the drives for supply systems such as drive systems, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, compressed air generation, grease pumps, etc., as well as the fans, which are used for example for the steam extraction or Kokillenrandab- suction, even at reduced or interrupted production unreduced in regular plant operating mode. This applies both to planned shutdowns and to unplanned shutdowns. During these downtimes, the supply systems and fans idle with no load and consume energy unnecessarily. The regular plant operating mode is generally designed for the full load of the plant. Exclusively for maintenance work, the supply systems are switched off. Depending on the operator, the shutdown for maintenance work is made on selection by a group shutdown from a control center or directly manually by individual shutdown. In this case, an operator disables the required units and components. After maintenance work will be the disconnected units and components either from a control center or manually turned on again by the maintenance staff.

It is the object of the invention to avoid the consumption of unnecessary energy during planned or unplanned stoppages in metallurgical plants.

This object is achieved in a method of the type mentioned above in that the system can be operated in an economy mode in which the consumption of electrical energy and / or reduced to media dien.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing or minimizing the consumption of electrical energy and / or media such as gases, water, lubricants, etc. for the production and processing of metallic materials in metallurgical plants, such as steel mills, casting plants, rolling mills or strip processing plants. The invention relates in particular to the reduction or minimization of consumption of electrical energy and the media such as gases, water, lubricants, in particular at standstill, d. H. Production breaks, as well as with reduced production of the respective plants, sub-installations and machine aggregates by means of the function to be selected of the respective plants with the emphasis of the automated plant control or regulation to the energy-saving mode.

The invention is characterized both by a targeted and automatically controlled shutdown of the supply systems and fans depending on the length of downtime and by an automatically controlled switching on the supply systems and fans at the end of downtime based on a selected in the control room of the plant mode Energy reduction taking into account the length of planned and unused planned downtime and associated targeted shutdown of supply systems and fans characterized. The invention further contemplates various turn-off and turn-on programs depending on the different types or stages of downtime. With the operating mode "economy mode" according to the invention, it is advantageously possible, the consumption of electrical energy and / or media, such as gases, water, lubricants, coolants, etc. by switching off the supply systems such as the drive systems, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, compressed air or the grease pumps and the fans, in particular for the extraction of vapor or for mold edge suction, in order to save energy costs., The reduction of the consumption is, compared to the regular plant operating mode, preferably up to 10%, in particular up to 20%, most preferably up to 30% of at least single media.

Through targeted and controlled automatic shutdown and reconnection of either the metallurgical plant or individual components thereof, an optimized and secured operating mode is achieved, which minimizes the risks of component and component component failures.

Advantageous developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

It is also advantageous that the method is initiated automatically or manually and / or that manual interventions are permitted during the course of the procedure.

The method is preferably carried out by means of a function for saving energy, for example as a software module, within an existing automation system. In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the method, shutdown or reclosing operations of units or components of supply systems integrated in the system and of fans are automatically controlled or regulated.

It is preferably provided that supply systems, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, units for compressed air generation or grease pumps or fans, in particular for steam extraction or Kokillenrandabsaugung be automatically controlled or regulated as supply systems.

If required, depending on the operating state or the process, components and / or units of the system are turned off, operated reduced power or turned on as needed. It also proves to be advantageous if control or regulation programs are used for operating and for switching on or off the components and / or units.

An advantage is a function that differentiates between a plant shutdown, especially a break, and the production operation. The economy mode can be operated not only during the plant standstill but also during the production operation. Thus, the economy mode preferably includes all modes of operation that differ from the regular plant operating mode.

Preferably, the method is configured such that under production conditions and safety-related aspects, underutilized components and / or units are shut down or reduced in power during production, or are switched on again if necessary. It is advantageously provided that the function automatically determines, selects, predefines and / or executes a consumption-minimizing operating mode for electrical energy and media during standstill of the system and / or during production operation. Advantageously, the function shuts down the components and / or units according to predetermined steps and parameters in the form of program sequences, reduces them in their performance or switches them off.

It is also preferably provided that the function takes into account a defined switch-on sequence when the components and / or units are switched on again.

According to a further advantageous development, the components and / or units are started up or switched on according to predetermined steps and parameters in the form of program sequences.

The invention also relates to a device for carrying out one of the methods listed above. According to the invention, the device is characterized in that it comprises a function for saving energy.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises a display device for displaying a man-machine dialogue via a man-machine interface, on which the states of the aggregates and / or components and associated information can be updated in accordance with the process.

Advantageously, the device is designed so that the information can be accessed directly or by operator selection.

In an advantageous embodiment of the device is provided that they, for. B. as a software module, integrated in a control of a plant-specific automation system or integrated in a higher-level process computer integ- is ruled. It can be a separate process computer that acts as a control center system.

The method and the apparatus described above can be used in a complex automation system in plants of metallurgical engineering, such as blast furnace or steelworks plants, continuous casting plants, tunnel or heating furnaces, rolling mills, these plants either being individual plants or integrated into plant lines in various combinations ,

The invention will be explained in more detail in an embodiment. The single figure shows a schematic representation of the method according to the invention.

An automation system 1 (FIG. 1) integrated, for example, in a control computer, is equipped with the "economy mode" 2, preferably in the form of a function.

From the entire metallurgical plant receives the automation system 1 parameter 3, such as performance data of the components of the machinery. Likewise, states 4 such as the operating state, the component state or the process status are supplied to the automation system 1. In addition, the automation system 1 restrictions 5, for example, downtime, minimum requirements or time-specific interruption periods 6 are fed. By means of the function 2, the automation system 1 is able to generate data from the parameters 3, the states 4 and the restrictions 5 via data lines 7, 8, 9 to line systems 10 for fluids such as compressed air or lubricants or coolants , on drives 1 1 for rollers, rollers or the like. And on fans 12 or other units for ventilation or cooling pass. Due to the data transmitted via the lines 7 to 9, the line systems 10, the drives 1 1 and / or the fans 12 are completely or partially switched off or in a state of reduced energy consumption. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 automation system

2 Operation "Economy"

3 parameters

 4 states

 5 restrictions

 6 interruption periods

7 data line

 8 data line

 9 data line

 10 pipe systems

1 1 drives

 12 fans

Claims

claims 1 . Method for the automated control or regulation of a metallurgical plant,  characterized,  that the plant can be operated in a saving mode different from the regular plant operating mode in which the consumption of electrical energy and / or media is reduced compared to the regular plant operating mode. 2. The method according to claim 1,  characterized,  that in the economy mode, the consumption of gases, water and / or lubricating and cooling fluids as media is reduced. 3. The method according to claim 1 and 2,  characterized,  that the reduction is up to 10%, preferably up to 20%, most preferably up to 30%. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,  characterized,  that the economy mode is initiated automatically or manually and / or that manual intervention is permitted during the economy mode. 5. The method according to claim 4,  characterized,  that the economy mode is performed by means of a power saving function within an existing automation system (1). Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized, that during the economy mode shutdown or reclosing operations of aggregates or components of system integrated in the system (10, 1 1) and fans (12) are automatically controlled and / or regulated. Method according to claim 6, characterized, that as supply systems drive systems, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, units for compressed air generation or grease pumps or fans (12), in particular for steam extraction or Kokillen- randabsaugung, automatically controlled and / or regulated. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized, during control mode, control or regulation programs are used for operating and for switching on and off the components and / or units. Method according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized, the function automatically determines, selects, specifies and / or executes a consumption-minimizing mode of operation and media by the control / regulation and preferably the components and / or units according to predetermined steps and parameters (3) in the form of Shuts down, shortens or shuts down program flows, and preferably takes into account when switching on the components and / or units a defined switch-on order. 10. Device or software module for carrying out a method according to one of claims 1 to 9,  characterized,  that it provides a saving mode for energy and / or media saving. 1 1. Device according to claim 10,  characterized,  in that it has a display device for displaying a human-machine dialog via a human-machine interface, on which the states (4) of the aggregates and / or components and associated information can be updated in accordance with the process. Device according to claim 1 1,  characterized,  the information can be called up directly or by operator selection. Device according to one of claims 10 to 12,  characterized,  that it is integrated in a control of a system-specific automation system or integrated in a higher-level process computer.