Improving conformance to quality requirements in making hot metal

Abstract

The quality of the output hot metal in mini blast furnace is assessed by the extent of conformity to specifications of different chemical constituents. It is crucially important to maximise the conformance to specifications of C%, Si%, S% and carbon equivalent (CE). The objective of the study thus turned out to be to achieve the optimum quantum of the input material and that of the input parameters of the furnace for which the extent of conformance is maximised. The approach adopted is to build up regression equations between furnace output and furnace input and subsequent optimisation using the method of moving asymptotes. The novelty of this work can be seen through application of this improved process optimisation methodology. The amount of non-conformity has turned out to be nil for C% and Si% from their respective baselines of 12.5% and 29.7%. Through this paper practitioners and researchers can understand as to how statistical and quantitative tools can be applied in a systematic manner for solving a real life quality problem.