Introduction to Steel Manufacturing Challenges

Steel manufacturing is a vital industry that serves as the backbone of many economies worldwide. However, it faces significant challenges related to energy consumption, carbon emissions, operational efficiency, and power quality. Traditional methods often rely on large amounts of energy, leading to high operational costs and environmental impact. To address these challenges, steel plants are increasingly turning to innovative solutions like Monata’s energy management system.

Understanding Monata: A Game-Changer for Steel Plants

Monata is a cutting-edge energy management system designed to optimize energy usage, reduce carbon emissions, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure power quality in steel manufacturing. It offers real-time energy monitoring, data analytics, and insights to help plants make informed decisions and streamline their processes.

Key Features of Monata:

  • Real-time Energy Monitoring: Monata provides real-time data on energy consumption at every stage of the production process, allowing operators to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. By monitoring energy usage in real-time, steel plants can make immediate adjustments to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.
  • Data Analytics: One of the key strengths of Monata is its powerful data analytics capabilities. By analyzing energy patterns and consumption trends, Monata enables steel plants to make data-driven decisions and optimize their operations for maximum efficiency. With access to actionable insights, operators can identify opportunities for improvement and implement targeted strategies to enhance performance.
  • Cycle Time Optimization: Monata helps reduce cycle times by identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the production process. By analyzing energy patterns and consumption data, steel plants can pinpoint areas where cycle times can be shortened without compromising quality. This allows for more efficient production processes, increased throughput, and reduced lead times.
  • Energy Efficiency Improvement: With Monata, steel plants can implement targeted strategies to enhance energy efficiency and reduce waste. By monitoring energy usage in real-time and analyzing consumption patterns, operators can identify areas where energy is being used inefficiently and implement measures to improve efficiency. This can result in significant cost savings and environmental benefits.
  • Power Quality Analytics: Monata also offers power quality analytics to ensure stable and reliable energy supply. By monitoring factors such as voltage fluctuations, harmonics, and power factor, Monata helps steel plants maintain optimal operating conditions and minimize the risk of equipment damage or downtime.

Case Study: Maximizing Efficiency with Monata

Let’s explore a real-world example of how Monata transformed the operations of a steel manufacturing plant:

Monata – Steel Induction Furnace Data Analysis

Above is the power consumption pattern of an induction furnace generated by Monata. It clearly shows 7 heat jobs were completed in a 12 hr time period (5:30 am to 5:30 pm).

Monata Steel - Energy Management System - Bath Sample Time 1

Monata Steel - Energy Management System - Bath Sample Time 2

Upon analyzing the data presented in the aforementioned graphs, it became apparent that the operator took significantly less time, merely 8 minutes, compared to the previous 24 minutes, to complete the same bath sampling process. This valuable insight enabled the management to optimize the sampling process by establishing an average time frame. Consequently, this optimization reduced the excess holding time of the liquid steel in the furnace, resulting in notable time savings. This increase in operational efficiency allowed the operator to execute another Heat Job promptly, thereby enhancing asset utilization.

Monata Steel - Energy Management System - Savings in different furnace types

Utilizing the detailed patterns generated by Monata, we conducted an analysis of the power consumption per ton in both the 3-ton induction furnaces. The findings revealed that the highest consumption rates were recorded at 862 and 863 KWH/Ton in Furnace 250 and 300 respectively. Conversely, the lowest consumption rates were observed at 693 and 642 KWH/Ton in the same furnaces. Through diligent monitoring and optimization of the energy consumption in these two three-ton induction furnaces, the plant achieved nearly 25% monthly energy savings. Moreover, per-ton savings exhibited a notable increase from approximately 25% to 35% as the size of the furnace increased. This underscores the effectiveness of Monata in enhancing energy efficiency across varying furnace sizes.

Technology used : Monata IoT

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