Speaker
Description
Steel ingot reheating and hot rolling are among the most energy-intensive stages of steel manufacturing, where significant thermal losses occur due to furnace inefficiencies, unplanned rolling delays, and lack of coordination between reheating and rolling operations. Conventional furnace control systems typically operate independently of downstream rolling conditions, resulting in overheating, increased scale formation, and non-uniform temperature distribution at the rolling mill entry.
This study presents an intelligent integrated framework that links reheating furnace operation with hot rolling process parameters through real-time monitoring and data-driven optimization. The proposed approach incorporates delay-aware furnace control, adaptive reheating strategies, and rolling schedule synchronization to minimize fuel consumption and thermal losses during both planned and unplanned mill stoppages. The temperature evolution of steel blooms from furnace exit to final rolling passes is analyzed, and the influence of rolling delays on heat loss, scale formation, and dimensional accuracy is evaluated.
An AI-assisted decision model dynamically adjusts furnace temperature set-points and soaking time based on rolling availability, process feedback, and delay duration. The methodology enables proactive control actions to prevent overheating during delays while ensuring adequate rolling temperature at mill entry. Industrial-scale implementation results demonstrate a reduction in specific fuel consumption, improved temperature uniformity, reduced scale loss, and enhanced overall process efficiency.
The proposed approach provides a practical and scalable pathway for integrating reheating and rolling operations in modern steel plants, contributing to improved product quality, energy efficiency, and reduced environmental impact. The framework is well aligned with ongoing efforts toward digital transformation and sustainable manufacturing in the hot deformation production chain.
| Speaker Company/University | Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana |
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