Digital Twin for Full Cok Battery Automation

Digital Twin

The main objective of this project is the development of a “digital twin” to simulate the production process of a cok battery, within the environment of an integral steel industry and without the need to intervene in the real process.

The objectives to be achieved are:

• Automation of machines.
• Centralized process control.
• Improving the by-product process.

The motivation of the project was given by the need to improve some key points in the process of cok batteries

• Reduce risks to health and safety at work.
• Reducing environmental risks.
• Improve productivity and quality ratios of products and by-products.
• Achieve a high degree of automation that allows a remote control of the plant.

This project was framed in the program in the subprogram “Digitization of Industry: Industry 4.0”, with the intention of giving a definitive impulse to the “digitalization” of one of the most fundamental and most “artisanal” operating stages of the steel process, cok batteries.

The collaboration in the project between ArcelorMittal, a world leader in steel production, and Iturcemi, a specialist in automation and industrial control systems, was very positive and the fact that ArcelorMittal had cok batteries in the process of installation and commissioning, was the right time to undertake the digitalization of the plant.

Finally, it has been possible to simulate an important part of the cok battery providing advantages and facilities during the start-up of the real installation and optimizing the automation project.

This project is funded by FEDER, IDEPA and the Science Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI)