Simulation of a taphole system at a blast furnace for the production of pig-iron

Taphole systems consist of drilling and tamping machines, and can sometimes include manipulators to cover the runners. The tapholes are periodically drilled at regular time intervals so that the pig-iron can be released from the bottom of the furnace. They are then closed back with a fireproof mass and drilled again after 2-3 hours. These machines, found on the casting platform, are driven by an electro-hydraulic pressure generator station. PLC-based controls are used for controlling, monitoring, and visualizing the complete system.

“During an ongoing project of relining a blast furnace, one of our customers approached us with the request of simulating the control of their new installation”, explains Fred Riddermann, hydraulic designer at dhms. “Because of the very short timeframe in which the project had to be completed, we wanted to simulate the taphole system to test the automation and hydraulic systems before the actual commissioning, to guarantee a smooth start.”

“We have been using Automation Studio^TM for a considerable amount of time to design and simulate hydraulic systems for our entire product range. It was therefore an obvious decision for us to use it on this current project, together with our PLC software supplier. We were convinced that we could generate a realistic simulation of the taphole system with Automation Studio^TM”, adds Alexander Becker, development engineer at dhms.

Building the virtual system

“Originally, the system was only available as a pure CAD drawing. We had to re-create the schematics and control plan in Automation Studio^TM and enter the corresponding technical data for each component in order to ensure a realistic simulation behaviour. This was done in close collaboration with the specialists of Famic Technologies”, says Fred Riddermann. “At the end of this phase, a Famic employee travelled to our PLC software supplier’s office, to connect and test, with OPC Server, the resulting virtual machine created in Automation Studio^TM with the PLC controller that would be later used on the real system.”

Step-by-step optimization

“During the first presentation at our customer’s site, some changes were requested, which we took into consideration and included afterwards into the virtual machine”, explains Fred Riddermann. “The final design was presented successfully to our customer at the end of September.”

After simulating the system, further changes and optimizations were also made, and the final PLC control of the real system was consequently adjusted before commissioning. “With the help of simulation, the final system was greatly improved. The functionality and security of the taphole system concept was proven during simulation and could be kept as is”, says Fred Riddermann. “The system was officially commissioned shortly before Christmas and both the hydraulic and electric control systems have been running smoothly since then.”

Lessons Learnt

“I would use Automation Studio^TM again at any given time, because I think that simulation is essential for complex system design projects. During this particular project, I was able to acquire valuable experience on control systems with the help of simulation. At first, we underestimated the modeling effort. However, a realistic simulation requires a detailed modeling of all components. Building the simulation model and the design of the real machine should be done in parallel with many test cycles in order to facilitate the tuning process”, resumes Fred Riddermann. “In the end, both the simulation and commissioning of our taphole system were successful.”

Alexander Becker
Development Engineer
Deilman-Haniel Mining Systems GmbH, Germany
www.dhms.com

Fred Riddermann
Design / Hydraulics
Deilman-Haniel Mining Systems GmbH, Germany
www.dhms.com