Optimizing Steel Production with IoT: A Case Study of BlueScope Steel Limited

BlueScope Steel Limited, a division in New Zealand, produces 650,000 tons of steel annually from locally sourced iron sand and coal. A crucial part of this process involves the direct reduction of iron sand by char in four rotary kilns. These kilns, large structures with 65 meter-long revolving cylinders, are used to remove oxygen from iron sand to produce a partially reduced material containing the correct amount of carbon for feeding into downstream melters. However, the company faced challenges in understanding the flow patterns, temperature, and concentration contours inside these kilns. Accretion layers or rings, derived mainly from impurities, occasionally form on the inner face of the kiln shell, limiting the production rate. The company needed a solution to this complex problem involving highly turbulent flows, chemical reactions, heat transfer, and a very large geometry in a reasonable time. They also needed to test a range of operating conditions and geometries efficiently.

BlueScope Steel Limited is a steel production company operating a division in New Zealand. The company produces 650,000 tons of steel per year from locally sourced iron sand and coal. A key component of their production process involves the direct reduction of iron sand by char in four rotary kilns. These kilns are large structures, about 4.2 meters in diameter with 65 meter-long revolving cylinders. The primary function of the kilns is to remove oxygen from iron sand to produce a partially reduced material containing the correct amount of carbon for feeding into downstream melters. The reduction process requires energy which is supplied by the combustion of carbon monoxide and char.