Advanced Control of The Grate-Kiln System-Sept. 2012

Advanced control of the
grate-kiln system
Metso Cisa
September 2012
All rights reserved.

© Metso Cisa
Agenda
• OCS© introduction
• OCS© induration systems overview
• Grate-kiln APC strategy
• OCS© induration modeling
• Important lessons (from 10 years experience)
2 All rights reserved.

© Metso Cisa
OCS© introduction

© Metso Cisa
Optimizing Control System
• On-line optimization
of set points
•Advanced regulatory
control
• Search for maximum
profit
DCS or PLC Network
• Autopilot
Instrumentation Operator
• Regulatory control
PROCESS (PID loops)
• Operator Interface
• Alarms/Reporting

© Metso Cisa
OCS© introduction
Modules overview

© Metso Cisa
OCS© hardware
Plant DCS/PLC Network OCS©
Process Engineer
OCS©
DPU
Temp Computer
OPC
Server
Pressure DPU
Control
Dampers
DPU
Process
Fans Control Room
Kiln
Fuels DPU
Control Room Operator
DPU
DPU
OCS© software architecture
Advanced
Evaluation
& Alarming
OCS© OCS©
Control Model
Quality
Application estimates Application
Optimized
set points &
Plant measurements
outputs

© Metso Cisa Process
OCS© induration systems
overview

© Metso Cisa
OCS© applications in pellet plants
13 advanced control systems, including on-line models:
• Vale Vitoria, 7 straight-grates, Brazil

• Vale São Luis, 1 straight-grate, Brazil
• Samarco Ubu, 2 straight-grates, Brazil
• Corus (Tata), 1 straight-grate, The Netherlands
• U. S. Steel, 2 grate-kiln, USA

© Metso Cisa
Application to the straight
grate process

© Metso Cisa
OCS© at Vale - Vitoria
• Nº1 iron ore and pellet producer in the world

- 36.0 MT of pellets in 2007
- Largest mining company in the world (Raw Materials Group)
• OCS© on 7 pellet plants located in Vitoria, Brazil
- 25 MT pellet capacity
- Balling discs and straight grates
• Project started in 2002 completed in 2005
• Evaluation results (on/off testing)
- Production: 2% to 5% increase
- Quality: 20% to 40% decrease of the standard deviation of CCS
• Holding CCS and abrasion index on target
- Energy: 1.5% to 3.5% decrease in specific energy consumption

© Metso Cisa
Samarco Ubu (Brazil)
• BHP Billiton – Vale joint venture (50-50%)

• 2 pellet plants
- Balling discs with straight grate machines
• OCS© project completed in 2004
- 3% total energy savings
- 1.9% production increase average
- 2.4% to 8.8% decrease in cooling fan power consumption
- Better quality (higher Cpk) for CCS and Abrasion Index
• Estimated benefits of US$ 1.5 million/yr
- Payback of < 3 months

© Metso Cisa
Corus Hoogovens (The Netherlands)
• Subsidiary of Tata Steel

- 4.5 MT pellet capacity
- Balling drums and straight grate
• Pellet used to feed Corus blast furnaces
- 2nd largest steel maker in Europe
• On-line phenomenological dynamic model of straight grate process
- Implemented in 2001, continuously maintained
- Used for PEMS
• Extended to OCS© advanced control system in 2008
- 4.7% increase production
- 7.3% decrease energy consumption
- OCS© model efficiently detecting CCS quality issues early

© Metso Cisa
OCS© at Vale – São Luis
• Straight-grate commissioned in 2002

- 12 balling discs
• Located in northern Brazil
- Ore railed 700 km through Amazon
- High and variable moisture content
- Relatively new staff
• Project overview
- August 2010 through April 2011
- Goals:
• Energy reduction
• Improved quality control
- No official feedback

© Metso Cisa
Application to the grate
kiln process

© Metso Cisa
U. S. Steel Minntac
Line 5 grate-kiln
• 1972 vintage
- 15’ wide grate
- 5 process fans (2A, 1A/1B, 3A, 3B)
- 3.25 MT/a
• Full OCS© control system
- Direct control of outputs (feed, fans, speeds, dampers, fuels)
- On-line dynamic phenomenological model for quality
- Complete in December 2007
• Subsequent extensions
- Cooler speed (2008)
- Filter plant – balling feed control (2008)
- Cooler vent stack damper (2009)
- Line delay control (2009)
- NOx optimization (2009)

© Metso Cisa
U. S. Steel Minntac
Official results (reported at SME)
• Energy Consumption
- 5.3% reduction at high production levels
- 14.7% reduction at reduced production levels
• Production
- +15 tph (2.7%) - normally feed limited due to crusher bottleneck
• Lower Kiln Temperatures
- 23 ºC kiln brick temperature (burn zone)
- 13 ºC kiln pellet discharge temperature
- Improved reducibility (+0.10 %/min dR40) for flux pellets
• Process Variability
- 52% decrease in temperature variance (average of all key temps)
• Return on Investment = 3.9 months

© Metso Cisa
U. S. Steel Minntac
Line 4 grate-kiln
• Project goal of > 15% NOx reduction
- Fuel reduction & quality improvement are “side benefit”
• Full OCS© control system
- Direct control of outputs (feed, fans, speeds, dampers, fuels)
- Opportunity for “redesign”
- On-line dynamic phenomenological model for quality
- April to October 2010
• Results not officially released to public
- Goals achieved
• Continuous improvements
- Line 5 upgrade
- Additional improvements…
• Mature system (good utilization)

© Metso Cisa
Grate-kiln APC strategy

© Metso Cisa
Typical grate-kiln regulatory control strategy
PID loop controllers

© Metso Cisa
Typical grate-kiln APC strategy
OCS© manipulated variables
• Direct manipulation
- Fan dampers (2A, 1A, 1B, 3A, 3B)
- Cooler vent stack damper
- Recoup damper
- Preheat & kiln gas valve
- Grate & cooler speed
• Set point manipulation (output to DCS PID loop)
- Biomass rate (Lbs/min)
- Balling drum feed rate (LTPH)
• What we don’t manipulate

- Kiln speed
- Bleed in & start up dampers

© Metso Cisa
Advanced
Evaluation
& Alarming
OCS© OCS©
Control Model
Quality
Optimized
set points &
Plant measurements
outputs

Current grate-kiln APC strategy
Optimization regions

© Metso Cisa
Airflow & pressure region
Manipulated variables:
• Waste gas fan
damper
• 1A/1B fan damper
• Grate speed
• Recoup damper
24 All rights reserved. • Cooler vent stack
© Metso Cisa
damper
Airflow & pressure region
• Goal is to optimize “work on grate”

- Maximize total airflow on the system
• Airflow not used for temperature control
- Maximize grate retention time
• Balance between flow & pressure
- Maintain DD1 furnace pressure slightly negative
- Maintain kiln hood pressure slightly negative
• Reality
- Maintaining dynamic airflow / pressure balance
- Deals short term with feed and permeability upsets/changes
- Use of CVS damper decouples cooling fans

© Metso Cisa
Heat recovery region
• 3A fan damper
• 3B fan damper
© Metso Cisa
Heat recovery region
• Goal is to maximize sensible heat recovery

- Maintaining solids discharge temperature
- Minimize total airflow *
- Maximize primary cooling fan
• Reality:
- Airflow has minimum limits based on production
- Constrained by cooler over bed pressure in emergencies
- Cooler discharge temperature is challenge
- Very dependent upon cooler screeding
• Mechanical health
- Major driver of process economics

© Metso Cisa
Quality & energy region
• Preheat fuels
• Kiln fuels
© Metso Cisa
Quality & energy region
• Goals
- Minimize total energy usage
- Maintain quality (final pellet, modeled quality, dust)
- Minimize total energy cost (kiln)
- Maximized preheat gas usage (NOx)
• Reality
- Assumes all other regions are optimized
- Slow reacting, controls “energy load” longer term on Btu/Lt basis
- Continuously seeks to cut fuel until constraint
• Modeled quality
• Solids temperatures
• Process related dust
- Quality constraints are dynamic (feed, dust, final pellet quality)
- Controls balance between dust & fuel addition

© Metso Cisa
Feed region
• Each balling drum
feed rate SP
© Metso Cisa
Feed region
• Goal is to maximize feed rate

- Limits defined by operators & managers
- Always at max unless constrained by process issue:
• Temperatures to make quality
• Cooler out of control
• Excessive NOx generation
- Manipulate individual drum feed set points
• Constrain if drum unhealthy
• Reality
- Usually no “extra feed”
- Operators set maximums where they want to run

© Metso Cisa
Emergency reaction
• Need to minimize grate airflow while maintaining cooling fans

- Major control problem
- Cooler/kiln pressure balance problem
- Grate temperature problem
• Preheat fans drive airflow reaction
- Waste gas & recoup dampers follow
• Waste gas controls DD1 pressure
• Preheat gas minimizes
• Kiln gas takes extra response
• Cooler vents stack opens
• Cooler fans maintain kiln hood pressure, if necessary
• After initial stage, all controls return to optimization when possible
© Metso Cisa
OCS© induration modeling

© Metso Cisa
Advanced
Evaluation
& Alarming
OCS© OCS©
Control Model
Quality
Optimized
set points &
Plant measurements
outputs

Models
• Gas flow model
- Mass balance of gases
- Energy balance
- Models for fans, dampers, ducts etc.
- Pressure drop through pellet bed (ergun)
• Induration model
- Mass transportation
- Major chemical reactions & heat transfer
• Drying, oxidation, calcination, etc.
- Quality soft sensor
• Models are interactive
• Published models
- Can customize for clients

© Metso Cisa
Induration libraries in C++ dll source code

© Metso Cisa
On-line configuration with GUI

© Metso Cisa
On-line configuration with GUI

© Metso Cisa
Mass transportation
1 layer
24 sections
DD1 DD2 PH
8 groups
8 layers
32 sections
C1 C2
State
Variables
Unit reactor
i, j-1
15 state variables on gas
8 layers
Unit reactor
i-1, j
Unit reactor
i, j
Unit reactor
i+1, j
16 sections
solids in solids out
off gas 64 groups
Unit reactor
i, j+1

© Metso Cisa
Unit reactors
State
Variables
Unit reactor
i, j-1
on gas
Unit reactor Unit reactor Unit reactor

i-1, j i, j i+1, j
solids in solids out
off gas
Unit reactor
i, j+1

© Metso Cisa
State variables

© Metso Cisa
Transfer of energy

© Metso Cisa
Evaporation of water

© Metso Cisa
Dissociation of Goethite

© Metso Cisa
Oxidation of magnetite

© Metso Cisa
CCS model

© Metso Cisa
On-line verification
Comparison between Model

estimates of gas temperature
and process measurements is
Cooler #1 hood temperature used to validate the model
(red = pv / green = model) running on-line
Cooler #2 hood temperature

(pink=pv / blue=model)
Firing windbox temperature

(blue=pv / green=model)

© Metso Cisa
On-line verification

© Metso Cisa
On-line interface
Latest update of model

outputs are displayed here.
Most of the model

parameters may be
changed on-line here.
I/O trends for easy

monitoring

© Metso Cisa
Soft sensor output example

© Metso Cisa
Soft sensor output example
LOW FEEDRATE
Temperature of the
pellet decrease
pellets decreases
with higher
tonnage
HIGH FEEDRATE

© Metso Cisa
Model output utilization
Temperature feed back

Production feed forward
Model - moisture tendency
feed forward
%H2O
TPH
T T T T T T

© Metso Cisa
Model output utilization
Optimizing
Logic
CCS
CCS
CCS
Optimization input from model

Optimization input from lab
Optimization outputs – set point
© Metso Cisa
Important lessons
(from 10 years experience)

© Metso Cisa
Grate-kiln optimization lessons
Important lessons
• Don’t control solids quality with airflow

- Air temperature is poor quality indicator
- Reaction timing…
• Running with minimal process dust is usually near quality threshold
- But not always…
• Cooler mechanical health & screeding is critical
- Major driver of process economics
• Cooler vent stack for pressure balancing is very beneficial
- Use cooling fans for cooling

© Metso Cisa
Grate-kiln optimization lessons
Reaching minimum
necessary work on Running a clean
grate? process, but not too
clean?
Adequate peak
pellet temperature?
• Moving towards vision solutions… Just cool enough to

properly handle?
© Metso Cisa
Questions ?

© Metso Cisa

Advanced Control of The Grate-Kiln System-Sept. 2012

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Advanced control of the

All rights reserved.

2 All rights reserved.

3 All rights reserved.

4 All rights reserved.

5 All rights reserved.

Plant DCS/PLC Network OCS©

7 All rights reserved.

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• Vale Vitoria, 7 straight-grates, Brazil

9 All rights reserved.

10 All rights reserved.

• Nº1 iron ore and pellet producer in the world

11 All rights reserved.

• BHP Billiton – Vale joint venture (50-50%)

12 All rights reserved.

• Subsidiary of Tata Steel

13 All rights reserved.

• Straight-grate commissioned in 2002

14 All rights reserved.

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• What we don’t manipulate

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• Goal is to optimize “work on grate”

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• Goal is to maximize sensible heat recovery

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• Goal is to maximize feed rate

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• Need to minimize grate airflow while maintaining cooling fans

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Unit reactor Unit reactor Unit reactor

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Comparison between Model

Cooler #2 hood temperature

Firing windbox temperature

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Latest update of model

Most of the model

I/O trends for easy

50 All rights reserved.

51 All rights reserved.