AUTOROLL

The Autoroll

system developed by Automation Division Tata Steel in collaboration with Hoogovens Technical Services (now Corus) automatically calculates mill setup parameters like roll gap, etc. taking into account such slab details like steel grade, rolling temperature, dimensions and chemical properties.

The system was commissioned and has been operational in the Hot Strip Mill of Tata steel Limited since 1998. It was developed on a VAX computer with VMS as the operating system. However, the same system can be developed on a UNIX platform also using C/C++ programming languages. The HMIs developed using Base Star Graphics can also be developed using VB/VC++ or can be web enabled by Java depending on the customer's choice.

While in operation at Tata Steel Limited, the system has provided numerous benefits, primary among them being:

  1. Nil width diversion in Roughing Mill
  2. Drastic reduction in setup related cobbles
  3. Enabling increased production from 1 MTPA to 2.67 MTPA
  4. Consistent quality resulting from absence of human intervention

FEATURES : 

  • Mill Tracking: The zone concept based material tracking is done for the physical movement of the material in all parts of the furnace and mill areas starting by slab discharges from the furnace up to down coiler. It starts up application functions according to the physical situation of the tracked object and supervises the material flow considering sequence control, validity checks and time limits.
        

  • Mill Pacing: Mill pacing functions ensure that mill capacity is utilised optimally. It performs the following two functions: -
       

    • To predict an extraction time from the furnace, which is within the current, limits of production bottlenecks of the installation such as the furnace capacity, roughing mill time for the previous slab, coil box processing time of the previous slab, finishing mill time previous slab, coiler operation time and the transport times of the coils.

    • To control the production of strips in the mill to ensure a safe minimal interval time between strips and at the time throughout of the process.
        

  • Roughing and Finishing Mills set-up:
       
    Mathematical model based mill set-up for Roughing & Finishing mills ensures that mills are optimally set-up for current stock/process conditions. Its self-adaptive feature refines itself through feedback system to improve tolerances on finished gauge, width and temperature of the product.
       

  • Man-Machine Interface: The man-machine interface is designed for ease of use by the user, learning and complete understanding of the system, keeping in mind the skill level, and behavioural profile of the user.