Mastering an automatic control system for blast-furnace heating

The automatic heating control system (AHCS) at blast furnace No. 9 at the Krivorozhstal' plant was designed as part of a planned centralized control system (CCS) for smelting parameters. During development of the AHCS, a study was made of the features of the 5000-m super(3) furnace relative to automation, a control algorithm was developed and programmed, and the component programs were tested and refined. Tests of the AHCS were conducted over a 4-month period, and industrial trials were begun on Nov. 1, 1978. During the trials, heating conditions in the furnace were regulated by changing the ore burden and moisture content of (steam in) the blast. The system worked without problems for 23 days.