virtual steel making

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Virtual Steelmaking

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Page 1: Virtual Steel Making

Virtual Steelm

aking

Page 2: Virtual Steel Making

Manufacture advanced high-strength steels for an aircraft undercarriage,design a door panel for a passenger car or calculate the design stress for the steel cable stays on a suspension bridge. Step inside a virtualsteelplant, operate the equipment and produce and test your own grade of steel.

steeluniversity.org is a free, innovative, Internet-based e-learning resource focused on all aspects of steel, including steelmaking technology and the multitude of different steel applications. This award-winning initiative is sponsored exclusively by the International Iron and Steel Institute. It provides highly interactive, game-likesimulations of the major steelmaking processes in real-time. steeluniversity.org coversthe entire steelmaking process, from raw materials to the finished steel product. End-use applications and their design, product testing and steel recovery andrecycling are addressed by individual modules.

steeluniversity.org is unique. Nowhere else in the world is it possible to explore and operate a complex, virtual manufacturing process while at the same time putting scientific, engineering and metallurgical principles and theory into industrial and economic practice. The challenge is to design, produce, test and use steels for specific applications within time and financial constraints.

The aim of steeluniversity.org is to inform and excite undergraduatestudents about steel and to provide practical examples of metallurgicaland scientific principles for their professors. It is also intended to be used to support the continuing professional development of employees in the steel industry supply chain.

Virtual Steelmaking

www.steeluniversity.org

The Royal Academy of Engineering – Education Innovation Prize Finalist

An initiative of the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI)

Page 3: Virtual Steel Making

Welcom

e

steeluniversity.org comprises a series of advanced and sophisticatededucational modules which supporttraditional teaching and learningpractices.

A 4D “fly-through” module provides a first-hand overview of the mainproduction processes used to make steel in a modern steelworks.Integrating the latest techniques in computer technology, you are taken on a journey from a shipunloading iron ore, all the way through the various productionprocesses to the finished steel.

The first series of modules take you through the basic steelmakingprocesses using a simple menu-driven facility. Each module can bestudied and operated as separateunits. The thermodynamics andkinetics of the chemical reactionstaking place in these operations can be explored to provide a detailedunderstanding of how they can becontrolled. Four different grades of steel can be made, each with a different composition, propertyprofile and end-use application. Two levels of difficulty are available.The more difficult route requires you to respond to unexpected eventsduring the simulation. This demands a more in-depth understanding of the process. Realism is enhanced by industrial sound effects. Feedbackis given at the end of each simulationon the quality of the steel producedand costs incurred.

Some of the simulation exercises are now linked. By registering andlogging on to steeluniversity.org, youwill be able to save and retrieve datarelating to the various simulations and exercises. For example, you cannow save your results from the EAFsimulation and refine the actual castsyou have made in the SecondarySteelmaking plant.

Several modules require you to select steels that are fit-for-purpose in transport, construction, energy and general engineering markets. You can take samples from a virtualsteel plate and test them to checkcompliance with its specifications. In another exercise you must designand make your own high strengthsteel. This involves a detailedunderstanding of the metallurgicalmechanisms that control theproperties of steel.

In another module you are introduced to life-cycle assessmentmethodologies and learn how to applythem to the production and use ofsteel. This helps you to recognise the importance of sustainability and the effect of your actions on the environment.

Page 4: Virtual Steel Making

Tour of Virtual Steelworks

This module takes you through the production stages and processroute of an integrated steelworks. The tour covers all aspects of anintegrated plant, from ironmaking and steelmaking through to casting and primary forming.

After an overview of the steelmakingprocess route, you start your tour by flying over the steelworks. The tour begins with the arrival of raw materials at the dock. Afterfollowing the process route throughthe various stages of production, you are then free to walk around the whole site and explore inside each of the main production units. You can look at the processing steps in more detail and watch the steel being made.

Steel Processing

Page 5: Virtual Steel Making

Basic Oxygen Steelmaking

This module includes a simulation of Basic Oxygen Steelmaking, one of the two main steelmakingprocesses. In the Basic OxygenFurnace, hot metal from the blastfurnace is converted into steel. In this simulation, you decide the levels of scrap and alloy additions to make. You then take control of the oxygen lance and furnace stirringto decarburise and dephosphorise the steel. The steel must be tappedwithin the required composition, time and temperature limits.

Details of the chemical reactionsoccurring during this process areprovided. The module also covers slag formation and constitution, and process-control issues.

Electric Arc FurnaceSteelmaking

The Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) is thesecond of the two main steelmakingprocesses. It is the major productionroute for recycling steel scrap, ofteninto higher quality steel. In this real-time simulation you must first selectthe appropriate type of scrap and the correct quantities. You will dividethe scrap into appropriately mixedbatches and then charge them into the electric arc furnace where it ismelted by applying a high electriccurrent through three graphiteelectrodes. Once melted, the steel is refined through the injection of carbon and oxygen, and theaddition of various elements and alloys to achieve the requiredcomposition before you deliver the molten steel to a ladle.

The EAF module is linked to theSecondary Steelmaking simulation.This enables you to continue refiningyour own successful casts in thesubsequent steelmaking process.

Page 6: Virtual Steel Making

Secondary Steelmaking

In this module you have to furtherrefine your ladle of liquid steel from the electric arc or basic oxygensteelmaking furnace. You arepresented with a ladle of molten steel together with vacuum degassing,ladle arc furnaces, chemical re-heatingand stirring station facilities. You mustselect which ones to use and deliverthe liquid steel to the appropriatecontinuous caster within specification,with the required inclusion content, at the right time and temperature and at minimum cost. This involvesdriving the ladle cars and cranes.Decisions also have to be made on what additions to make, where and when to make them and how to remove some unwanted elements.

Continuous Casting

In this simulation you play the role of a plant metallurgist in charge ofbloom, slab and billet continuous-casting machines. Your goal is tosuccessfully sequence-cast threeladles of steel into semi-finishedproducts ready for hot rolling. Many operational decisions have to be taken to control the castingspeed and the flow of metal from ladle to tundish while keeping a close eye on the time and temperaturesettings. Avoiding a break-out ornozzle blockage is critical to thesuccess of the process. The internaland surface quality and final inclusioncontent are vital factors that need to be considered to ensure the steelmeets the customer’s specifications.

Page 7: Virtual Steel Making

Hot Rolling

The hot rolling module introduces the various plant configurations andprocesses for rolling different products.The module also covers basic rollingtheory. In the simulations you can roll an “I-beam” for constructionapplications from a bloom in aUniversal Beam Mill or an ultra-lowcarbon steel strip for car body panels.You can also design and perform a “controlled-rolling” schedule for alinepipe steel plate in order to achievethe specified geometry and properties.

Page 8: Virtual Steel Making

Material Selection for a CarDoor Panel

In this module you take the role of a materials engineer who is part of a team that is designing,making and selling a lighter andcheaper car door panel. Decisionshave to be taken on the thickness and shape of the panel, the strength of the steel, its formability andweldability, and how to protect it from corrosion. Steel industrydevelopments in this area have led to significant advances in high strength and ultra-high strength steels used for automotive applications.

Steels in Construction

The construction industry is the largestmarket for steel products. This moduleillustrates the diversity and versatility of steel and its wide variety of types,shapes, properties and applications in buildings and other major structures.The design equations used instructural steelwork are described,failure mechanisms examined and the difference between strengthand stiffness explored. Fabrication andcorrosion protection methods are also studied.

Steel Applications

Page 9: Virtual Steel Making

Offshore

The variety of steels and steelcomponents used in offshoreapplications are explored in thismodule. The module ends with anexercise to design and make 9,000tonnes of high strength steel for an off-shore platform. Your aim is to successfully supply the order and make a profit.

Engineering Steels

Engineering steels are extensively used in the automotive, aerospace,railway, oil and gas, mining, powergeneration, defence, agriculture,chemical, construction, generalengineering and manufacturingsectors. Cars, buses, trucks and off-road vehicles account for over half the market for engineering steels.

Using interactive exercises andexamples, this module explores the wide range of engineering steels,from plain carbon steels to high alloy,ultra high strength steels. In each case the composition and processingmethods used to ensure the steel is suitable for its intended applicationare examined.

Page 10: Virtual Steel Making

Strengthening Mechanisms

This module introduces the variousmetallurgical mechanisms that areused to strengthen ferrite and pearlitesteels. These include grain refinement,dislocation (or work hardening), solid solution hardening andprecipitation hardening. You can learn how to quantify their effects on the mechanical properties and how they can be combined to create specific properties.

Ferrous Metallurgy

Thermodynamics and Kinetics

A solid understanding of thermodynamics and kinetics is fundamental to the chemistry of ironmaking and steelmaking. In order to meet varied and stringentconsumer demands it is necessary to understand how chemical reactions can be accurately controlled. The control of oxygen,carbon, phosphorus, sulphur, hydrogen and nitrogen is an essential part of the steelmaking process.

This module looks in detail at the chemical reactions taking place in the various secondary steelmakingvessels. It illustrates how the underlying thermodynamics and kinetics can allow these reactions to be manipulated to produce steel with the required composition.

Page 11: Virtual Steel Making

Mechanical Properties

This module provides an insight into steel specifications and involvesan exercise in which you sample a steel plate. You must decide how many test pieces to produce in various orientations. You thenmeasure its properties and determine whether it meets a particular specification. Virtualtensile, hardness and Charpy impact tests are available to complete this study.

Annual Challenge

Each year, IISI hosts the steeluniversityChallenge, where participants aregiven 24 hours to process a new steel grade in one or more of theVirtual Steelmaking simulations.Multiple attempts are allowed duringthe 24 hour period. There are twocategories; university students andnew steel industry employees (lessthan three years’ experience). Thewinners from each category are theindividual or team who successfullyprocess the steel at the lowest cost. A prize and trophy are awarded to the winners at a major IISI event. The Challenge is normally run in November.

Sustainability

In this module you will examineSustainability and the Environment,drawing on examples from theautomotive, construction and steelindustries. You will then progress to understanding principles of life cycle thinking and Life CycleAssessment (LCA). Some relativelysimple Life Cycle Assessments canalso be performed. This modulehighlights the importance ofconsidering LCA in your decision-making, both in your work and private life. Additional modulesplanned for this section includeEnvironmental Management in thesteel industry.

Page 12: Virtual Steel Making

The development of the e-learning resources at www.steeluniversity.org is continuing and will include simulations from the blast furnace to rolledproducts. Other modules will incorporate additional metallurgical principlesand steel applications. The facility is being translated into other languages.Some modules are already available in Spanish and Chinese.

Supplementary features are also included on the site. These include ‘Study and Work’, which comprises a number of case studies highlighting how steeluniversity.org is being used in industry and academia. The section also includes information on career opportunities in the steel industry. Also planned are a Forum for site users and a section presenting news of the latest steel technologies.

steeluniversity.org can be readily blended into traditional teaching and learning and is already being used by universities and steel companies worldwide. It can be used for self-motivated or directed individual study, team projects or as a competition.

IISI hopes that steeluniversity.org will inspire and excite students about the value and wonders of steel, the opportunities steel presents to the sustainability of our world and about the challenging and rewardingcareers in the steel industry.

International Iron and Steel InstituteRue Colonel Bourg 120B-1140 Brussels - BelgiumT: +32 (0)2 702 89 00 F: +32 (0)2 702 88 99 E: [email protected]

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