Sangan Steel Pelletizing Production Manager Saeed Naghiyeh stated that artificial intelligence has great potential, especially in pellet production. Naghiyeh added, "Pellet quality directly affects the performance of direct reduced iron (DRI) furnaces and ultimately the final steel quality. However, pellet production is a complex process that requires the management of many variables such as the mix of raw materials, particle sizes and furnace conditions. Artificial intelligence and machine learning allow us to optimize this process."
Naghiyeh stated that traditional optimization methods require costly experiments, but artificial intelligence models can reduce the number of experiments by working on historical production data. He also stated that AI-based systems can predict critical quality parameters such as cold crushing strength (CCS) and porosity of the pellet in advance, so that operators are alerted before the actual laboratory results are available.
Drawing attention to energy efficiency and cost reduction, Naghiyeh noted, "By determining the optimum production parameters, fuel and energy consumption is reduced. At the same time, the use of binding materials such as bentonite is minimized, reducing both cost and environmental impacts. Artificial intelligence also prevents possible errors in the production process by detecting anomalies early."
Emphasizing that the implementation of artificial intelligence requires large investments and advanced infrastructures, Naghiyeh continued: "Comprehensive communication and automation systems are needed to collect, transmit and process data with sensors and advanced technology devices. In addition, strengthening security infrastructures, continuous monitoring and network segmentation have become mandatory against the increasing risks of cyber-attacks today."
Sharing the details of the “SMARTizing” project, Naghiyeh stated that the system monitors the production line instantly, quickly detects deviations from optimized values and offers rapid intervention. He noted that the testing and improvement processes of the project, which is currently in the pilot phase, are ongoing, and that they expect an increase in efficiency and significant savings in energy and costs in the coming periods.
Stating that the project will contribute to the digital transformation of not only Sangan Steel but also the entire steel industry, Naghiyeh added, "In the long term, this smart system is planned to be adapted to other stages of steel production and different production lines. Our ultimate goal is to support the transition to environmentally friendly, flexible and sustainable ‘green steel’ production."
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