An advanced control method for saving energy in the tandem rolling of hot metal strip

Abstract

The tandem rolling of hot metal strip is a complex industrial process that is quite energy intensive. In our recent work at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Central Florida we have investigated the application of a modern advanced control method to improve the quality of the process output, with the additional feature of a significant savings in energy. This paper describes our new control method based on the use of the state-dependent Riccati equation technique and how it has resulted in both an improvement in quality and a significant savings in energy. The advanced control method as discovered in our work and as described in this paper can also be applied to similar large industrial processes with similar energy savings.