ABB completes ‘Melt shop digitalisation project’ with JSW Steel Ltd., to boost productivity and profitability

By OEM Update Editorial July 2, 2021 2:51 pm IST

Digital solution connects steel melt shop operations with ladle and crane tracking and thermal loss prediction for higher casting speeds and additional output of 24,000 tonnes per annum.

ABB has built on a long-term relationship with JSW Steel Ltd, India’s leading steel company, by integrating its digital solution ABB Ability™ Smart Melt Shop into a wider expansion at Dolvi Works plant in Maharashtra state.

With the project, completed on schedule in March 2021, ABB has improved productivity and energy efficiency for the steel melt shop by developing an operations optimisation solution, including ladle and crane tracking system, crane scheduling system and thermal loss models, to predict target temperature for ladle furnaces and ensure the correct superheat at the caster. This is expected to increase the company’s EBITDA profit by around USD two million per annum through four percent higher casting speeds, time savings of one working day per month and additional output equating to 24,000 tonnes a year.

The plant now has real time tracking of steel ladles for process synchronisation and better maintenance planning. In wider benefits, the lower energy consumption means fewer consumables used per batch and therefore a lower carbon footprint with less CO₂ per tonne of steel produced. Automatic tracking and scheduling increases personnel safety as they are removed from the production area during crane and ladle movements. The scheduling solution also results in reducing tapping delays by ensuring these movements are synchronised with process requirements.

“We relied on the metallurgical expertise of ABB’s Metals team as they proved to us that this digital solution could be integrated into our complex plant with its diversified operational procedures,” said Gajraj Singh Rathore, President, JSW Steel Ltd. “The figures and the results from testing stacked up and we could see the capacity to enhance productivity, improve energy efficiency and generate a relativity quick return on investment too.”

Additional benefits of the ladle tracking system include reduction in tapping delays in the electric arc furnace, reduction of electrode and power consumption at the ladle furnace and reduction in silicon deviation in hot rolled coils produced from slabs from the continuous caster.

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