Application of the Process Parameters Analysis Tree for the Melting Process Stability Control

Abstract

The metallurgical enterprise information system is a web-oriented system designed for tracking, controlling, modeling, analysing and improving the quality of metallurgical products. A process parameters analysis tree is one of the system tools assuming the work in real time. The tree is an AND-OR graph with four types of nodes. Interaction between the tree and external information systems is provided by the data exchange module that functionally corresponds to the class of Enterprise Services Bus. The analysis tree is used to solve the problems of dispatching and reassignment of products between orders based on the diagnostics of the process parameter values deviations. The application of the tree for control of the melting process stability is considered in the paper. When performing the melting operation, it is necessary to maintain low silicon content in the melting to ensure specified mechanical properties of the steel. Technologists carry out the control of the silicon maintenance in the steel by means of a control chart. The control chart is constructed on the basis of the analysis of accumulated statistics of the studied process. An additional tool for controlling the silicon content in the melting process is proposed: the process parameters analysis tree. The analysis tree is carried out in real time. It receives as input the current silicon content in the melting and, based on the calculation of tree nodes, outputs the stability of the current melting process: statistically stable, statistically unstable, unacceptable. The latter two regimes require the technologist to carry out additional quality control of the resulting slabs and launch processes of search for the causes of the incident. The advantages of the process parameters analysis tree application has been revealed to be associated with increasing the speed of decisions taken.