ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG (Duisburg, Germany):

Maniura T., Engeneer, Development of Quality Systems and Processes, e-mail: tina.maniura@thyssenkrupp.com
Arns M., Head of BOF Meltshop 2
Drewes J., Team Coordinator, Development of Quality Systems and Processes

At thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG an ODMS-based planning tool was developed in order to improve time management for the BOF meltshop 2 in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth. The programs for operative planning of steel production have been tested and applied in this shop. Automatic systemfor solving the confl ict situations is envisaged. The LP represen ting the meltshop’s interactive toolbox allows to change the weights in the objective function as well as the constraints. Due to CPLEX, the power ful optimization engine, the solution for most problems is found and displayed in a Gantt chart within ten seconds. Finally, comparing cyclically the planning result to the actual state in the plant, the traffic-light tool gives an online feedback of the punctual delivery of melts to the CCs. It is also necessary to vary casting speed depending on steel grade and in the periods of operating with lowered productivity. Calculated casting speed should not exceed maximally possible for this continuous caster. The combination of automatic, optimization-based calculations and human input described above has stood up to all alternatives. Additionally the meltshop 2 planning tool enables the user to check the feasibility of the casting program in dependence of the equipment availability of the steel plant. This results in ideal capacity utilization at low tapping temperatures; in the fiscal year after the planning system’s introduction the average turnround times decreased by more than 10 %.

1. www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com/media/content_1/publikationen/werke_und_produktionsanlagen_de.pdf, issue 07/2011, p. 14/15.
2. Cappel, J.; Kaiser, H.-R.; Schlüter, J.: Time management at the HKMHuckingen BOF-shop, Proc. 4^th Europ. Oxygen Steelmak. Conf. (EOSC), 12 – 15 May 2003, Graz, Austria.
3. Crombag, M. J. D.; Filbri, J. W.; Fischer, J. L. M.; Moonen, W. H. L.; Mostert, R.: The 6.5 million t plan of Corus Strip Products BOS2, Proc. 3^rd Europ. Oxygen Steelmak. Conf. (EOSC), 30 Oct – 1 Nov 2000, Birmingham, UK.
4. Missbauer, Η.; Hauber, W.; Stadler, W.: A scheduling system for the steelmaking-continuous casting process. A case study from the steelmaking industry, Int. J. Prod. Res. 47 (2009) No. 15, p. 4147/72.
5. Sun, L.; Liu, W.; Chai, Т.; Wang, H.: Crane scheduling of steelmaking and continuous casting process using the mixed-timed Petri Net modelling via CPLEX optimization. 18^th IFAC World Congress of the Intern. Fed. of Automatic Control, Milano, Italy 28 Aug – 2 Sep 2011.
6. Chvatal, V.: Linear Programming, Freeman, New York, USA, 1983.
7. Nemhauser, G.; Wolsey, L.: Integer and Combinatorial Optimization, Wiley Inter-science, New York, USA, 1988.