Perfection of sinter, coke and blast furnace production by application of digital technologies within the frame of “Industry 4.0” concept

. At present in view of computers and control systems development, the role of digitizing and digital transformation of metallurgical production has increased. The most important element of the transformation to digital metallurgy is the concept “Industry 4.0”. The basic components of the digital metallurgy are mathematical models of physical and chemical processes, running in metallurgical aggregates and databases of these processes. The Institute of Metallurgy of Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences proposed an array of technical solutions for perfection of sintering and blast furnace production by application of digital technologies within the “Industry 4.0” concept. The proposed solutions are as follows: two-dimensional and three-dimensional analysis of forecast of blast furnace smelting phenomena, monitoring of BF hearth refractory lining state, optimization of composition and increase of metallurgical characteristics of iron ore sinter and coke. These technical solutions have been trialed at sintering plants, coke-production plants and at blast furnace shops of Russia and China.