Real-time chemical feed-back in steel manufacturing
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | ACREO SWEDISH ICT AB - Acreo Swedish ICT AB, Kista |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 254 180 |
| Project duration | November 2014 - May 2015 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Strategic innovation programme for process industrial IT and automation – PiiA |
Purpose and goal
The idea behind this pre-study was to investigate the possibilities of online chemical analysis for process control in steelmaking and similar applications. The focus of the study was to find a way to enable real-time control of the carbon content of the steel in the steelmaking process developed by ScanArc Plasma Technologies, IronArc.
Results and expected effects
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was identified as the, by far, most suited and most widely applied technology for industrial online measurements. It is also applicable in harsh environments and the results indicate that it also enables process control in IronArc. As a direct consequence of the study, Acreo will actively work for new consortia and for exploring the possible use of in other applications to give Swedish industry the possibility to benefit from this emerging technology.
Approach and implementation
This prestudy was a cooperation between ScanArc Plasma Technologies, Acreo Swedish ICT, and Fiber Optic Valley. It began with an analyses of needs and requirements fo chemical analysis for process control. Partially in parallel, a study of applicable technologies was conducted. A literatures study of Laser-Induced Breakdown spectroscopy and its applications for measurements on steel melts and slag was made and it was clarified how data should be collected and treated for process control.