Upgrading of control systems for electric drives and process automatic equipment of continuous billet mill section.
A turn-key package of services on upgrading of control systems for electric drives and process automatic equipment of the first mill train of continuous billet mill section was finally provided in section rolling shop No.1 at JSC «Oskolsky electrometalllurgical works named after A.A.Ugarov». The purpose of upgrading was replacement of worn-out and obsolete control and automation systems of continuous billet mill section without sacrificing the interoperability of newly installed systems with the existing old control and automation systems of continuous billet mill section as well as other process sections of the shop and coordinated functioning of new automation systems with the existent ones.
Upgradings at process section of continuous billet mill (section rolling shop No.1) resulted in putting into operation of a new hardware and software package of automated control system, integrated into common automated control system of section rolling shop No.1 and supporting data exchange with existent automated control systems of the preceeding (two-high reversing stand “1000”) process section and succeeding (hot saw sections of the first and the second lines) process sections, as well as with tracking system of PR-M shop (via managed switch). Technical solutions approved and implemented in the course of upgrading can be used for future upgrades of existent automated control systems of process sections of the shop without sacrificing the coordinated functioning of new automation systems with the existent control systems.
Equipment dismantling/installation activities, commissioning and cold tests (comprehensive performance check of reinstalled equipment without metal) were conducted during shutdown of the mill for overhaul repair. Performance of dismantling/installation works on very tight schedule became possible due to certain preparations made for the works – equipment arrangement close to installation locations, preliminary laying of new cable in trays as far as connection points – and also through highly professional help of specialists of installation organization – JSC «Servisavtomatika», the town of Nizhny Tagil, which was used by CJSC «ASC» as a subcontractor for this job.
Total time spent on dismantling/installation, commissioning works and cold tests of reinstalled equipment was 137 hours.
Within the period from 15.10.2021 to 18.10.2021 hot tests were successfully completed. They proved failure-free operation of equipment during 72 hours in automatic mode. Finally the equipment was put into production.
At all stages of performance of afore-mentioned “turn-key” works on upgrading of control systems for electric drives and process automatic equipment of the first mill train of continuos billet mill section the specialists of CJSC «ASC» were assisted, both in terms of technical and organizational support, by production engineers and managers of section rolling shop No.1 of JSC «Oskolsky electrometallurgical works named after A.A.Ugarov», maintenance and repair center manufacturing department on power equipment repair of section rolling shop No.1, maintenance and repair center manufacturing department on automation equipment repair of section rolling shop No.1, process automatic equipment control department, LLC «Metallo-Tech»», regional IT-center of LLC ««JSA group», plant procurement monitoring administration office. Such extensive cooperation could not but contribute a lot to successful outcome of this upgrade venture.