Innovative steam boiler control system will save MMK 85 million rubles per year

2019-07-17

Jul. 17, 2019 - Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has put into operation an automatic control system of steam boilers which power the plant. This will increase energy efficiency, as well as provide a significant reduction in harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The introduction of the system will save more than 85 million rubles per year.

The project was implemented by specialists of the Department of the Chief Power Engineer of MMK together with OSK and the Southern Ural State University within the framework of MMK's strategic initiative 'Industry 4.0'. The project includes eight boilers at the Central Power Plant and two boilers at the Combined Heat and Power Plant. Currently, work is underway to implement the second phase of the system at the Central Power Plant.

The launch of the automatic control system of the steam boilers will reduce the consumption of natural gas at MMK and significantly increase the reliability of the steam boilers. In addition, the system will reduce harmful emissions (CO, NOx) into the atmosphere. This is achieved due to the operational regulation and reduction of peak operating conditions of the equipment during the utilisation of secondary energy resources.

The payback period of the project is less than two years. The automatic control system of the steam boilers is the foundation for the development of projects to further improve the efficiency of MMK power plants through the introduction of technical and economic management systems, which are based on digital counterparts of power units, predictive analytics and optimisation modelling.

Given the high technical and economic indicators of the system, MMK specialists, together with OSK and the R&D centre of Magnitogorsk State Technical University, are working on the issues of application of the developed models and algorithms at the technological systems, which involve combustion processes at MMK and other industrial enterprises.