From 12th to 13th July, the coal injection and No.1 converter projects at Jinan Iron and Steel, designed and commissioned by MCC Huatian and supplied with electrical, instrumentation, and automation (EIA) equipment, were successively put into operation: At 12 noon on 12th July the coal injection project commenced blowing; at 16:35 on 13th July, the No.1 converter project began drying the furnace, tapping iron at 22:00, and tapping steel at 23:45, marking another milestone following the successful tapping of No.3 blast furnace at 10:00 on 12th July. Currently, all systems of the project are operating stably, with on-site personnel ensuring smooth production.
It is understood that in the long-process construction project of Jinan Iron and Steel, MCC Huatian Nanjing Electric Power Company's scope of work encompassed automation system design, EIA equipment supply, and programming & commissioning of primary and secondary automation systems for blast furnaces; automation system design, EIA equipment supply, programming & commissioning of primary and secondary automation systems, as well as construction and installation for coal injection projects; and automation system design, EIA equipment supply, construction and installation, and programming & commissioning of primary and secondary automation systems for converter projects. Upon completion, this project will significantly propel Jinan Iron and Steel towards intelligentization.
As a crucial technological component of Jinan Iron and Steel's Phase II projects, the converter project was entrusted with confidence by the owner and contracted on 28th March, 2024. The Electric Power Company attached great importance and promptly established a project team to commence work, encompassing EIA drawings review, PLC system design, ordering, equipment supervision, supply, installation, and commissioning. Departments collaborated seamlessly, working overtime to meet tight deadlines under immense pressure, ensuring all equipment arrived at the site by the end of May, laying a solid foundation for subsequent EIA construction and commissioning. On the design front, the Electrical Business Unit aimed to establish this project as a standardized template for converter electrical automation, enhancing the company's market competitiveness in converter EIA systems. During project execution, departmental design elites optimized EIA ordering drawings and construction drawings, preventing common issues and minimizing on-site rework. Programming and commissioning personnel also standardized program frameworks, utilizing structured programming for easy replication and user interface design. For complex equipment such as converter tilting and oxygen lance operation, they implemented functional division, modularizing equipment signal processing, alarm interlocking, and process actions. Additionally, standardized naming, input/output mapping, two-stage oxygen step control, and model feeding control were adopted, enhancing the integrity, compatibility, and reproducibility of the converter PLC control program.
The coal injection project introduced technical innovations, realizing automatic pressure equalization and uniform blowing techniques for exhaust gases. After blowing, nitrogen from the blowing tank is utilized to initially equalize pressure in another tank that has not yet undergone equalization and blowing, thereby improving nitrogen utilization efficiency. The project entered the commissioning phase around 10th June. However, due to delayed delivery of equipment ordered by the owner, the later stages of commissioning were time-constrained and demanding. Furthermore, the owner requested simultaneous operation of Systems 2 and 3, significantly increasing workload within a short period. To meet these requirements, commissioning personnel worked overtime continuously, persevering even in 41°C heat, often having simple meals at the plant during lunch breaks to fulfill program interface modifications for additional equipment as requested by the owner.
Moreover, the Electric Power Company's self-operated EPC project for the 450 micro-bulb flat steel production line at Longteng Special Steel also delivered good news, with hot steel tapping achieved at 10:58 on 12th July.
