Solutions Metallurgical

Cybernetica uses model-based techniques and intelligent data processing to deliver operator support and advanced process control solutions (APC) to our customers in the metallurgical industry.

Typical challenges

Few and often indirect measurements
Extreme temperatures and aggressive environments
Inhomogeneous raw materials

Our services for the metallurgical industry

Model predictive control based on first principles models
Online models and applications for soft sensing
Training simulators
Thermal imaging – advanced image processing

Experience

We have long experience in working with a variety of metallurgical challenges, including:

Aluminium electrolysis
Electric Arc Furnace
Submerged Arc Furnaces
Oxygen refining converters
Ladle refining
Metal extrusion

Industries

Our main work with process metallurgy and related industries is in the areas:

Aluminium
Ferroalloys
Solar grade silicon
Stainless and carbon steel
Calcining

NMPC and digital solutions for metallurgical processes

Cybernetica’s flexible digital technology can be used to develop a wide variety of applications based on the specific plant needs. We have extensive experience working with custom process models and our offline tools provide the testing capabilities needed to tune models for special circumstances.

Model-based optimisation solutions

Typical objectives of our model-based optimisation applications for metallurgy include:

Monitoring/early warning of disturbances and drift in process operation
- Process quality
- Efficiency
- Emissions
- Other
Optimisation of process inputs
- Power
- Raw material additions
- Process set points (e.g. fans, heat exchangers)
Compliance with product quality and operation constraints

Thermal imaging

Cybernetica InSight is a flexible framework for thermal imaging that supports custom image processing algorithms. By combining thermal imaging with advanced image processing algorithms, we provide new measurements of both temperature and geometry.

Case Aluminium electrolysis

Production of aluminium is a power consuming process where large amounts of electric power is needed. Alumina, processed from bauxite, reacts with anode carbon in Hall-Héroult electrolysis cells to produce the aluminium metal.

Case Electric arc smelting furnaces

A key challenge in large industrial submerged arc electric furnaces is the lack of direct measurements of the furance hearth. The operating conditions in the furnace hearth, typically consisting of a coke-bed or a crater are so harsh with extreme temperatures and aggressive chemical conditions that measurement equipment will not survive long enough to make proper measurements.

Case Metal refining processes

In metal refining the aim is to obtain the specification of one or several chemical components within product specifications, while at the same time obtain a product temperature within a preferred narrow window within a defined margin above the melting temperature. At the same time, production amounts should be optimized, at a lowest possible cost.

Implementation

Cybernetica employees have extensive experience in industrial implementation and commissioning of advanced process control (APC) applications based on model predictive control (MPC) technology.

Cybernetica develops, implements and commissions complete (“turn-key”) advanced process control applications based on Cybernetica CENIT. A comprehensive maintenance programme ensures all applications to perform at its best at all times.

Cybernetica CENIT

State-of the art nonlinear model predictive control
Mechanistic mathematical models
Industrially proven
Runs on a Windows server
OPC communication

Maintenance

Cybernetica’s maintenance programme ensures that all applications perform at their best at all times. Cybernetica rapidly responds to customer requests. Cybernetica CENIT has built-in functionality for reproduction and diagnosis of current or past process situations, facilitating efficient analyses of issues reported by the customer.

The most common and important issues are reported directly to the operators, enabling the operators to act when necessary.

Maintenance program

Prevents performance degradation
Quick response on request
Performance monitoring
Automatic reports to operator

Safe operation

Using model adaption, Cybernetica CENIT ensures that the industrial processes are safely controlled in spite of model uncertainty.

In addition to the inherent safety associated with the model predictive control methodology and the online model adaptation, CENIT includes functionality for fault detection and diagnosis.

Installation of Cybernetica CENIT requires no change in the existing safety systems. The integrity of the facility will not be impaired in any way.

Safety first

Advanced control with intrinsic safety
Fault detection
Diagnosis functionality
Safety integrity is retained