2.Baosteel/SandSteel: Research and Development of Intelligent Closed-loop Control System for Metallurgical Furnace Temperature

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2026-06-17 On 2026-06-17

Cooperation Background

Baoshan Iron & Steel (Baosteel) and Shagang Group are leading domestic iron and steel metallurgy enterprises. Their metallurgical furnaces (including converters and soaking pits) operate under extreme working conditions featuring ultra-high temperatures (maximum in-furnace temperature up to 1,800°C, heavy dust and intense vibration). Conventional furnace temperature monitoring relies on manual temperature measurement plus manual power adjustment, which brings multiple drawbacks such as delayed temperature reading, untimely regulation, frequent manual intervention and high equipment failure rates. These issues not only impair steel smelting quality but also create potential safety hazards. Therefore, an intelligent, stable furnace temperature closed-loop control system tailored for extreme operating environments is in urgent demand.

R&D Investment & Implementation Process

Targeting the harsh working conditions of the metallurgical industry, Tianjian formed an interdisciplinary R&D team covering three major disciplines: sensing technology, power control and automation algorithms to carry out special technical research and breakthroughs. Key technical breakthroughs are summarized as follows:

Development of high-temperature resistant sensors: Custom armored thermocouple sensors are manufactured with high-temperature resistant alloys capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2,000°C. Optimized sensor packaging processes resolve signal distortion and short service life caused by high-temperature oxidation and dust corrosion. After hundreds of high-temperature simulation tests, the service life of sensors is extended from 3 months to 12 months.
Adaptation of power regulation system: Based on the company’s core SCR power regulator technology, circuit design is optimized to achieve full current coverage ranging from 30 A to 800 A. The system dynamically adjusts heating power according to furnace temperature variations with a response time ≤ 0.5 seconds, preventing compromised smelting quality resulting from excessive or insufficient power output.
Development of intelligent closed-loop algorithm: Integrating three modules of temperature acquisition, power regulation and fault early warning, a full closed-loop control system of “temperature measurement – data analysis – power regulation – signal feedback” is constructed. It enables fully automatic furnace temperature monitoring, power adjustment and abnormal alarms without manual intervention.

R&D Achievements & Cooperation Value

After the intelligent closed-loop furnace temperature control system was deployed and applied in multiple production workshops of Baosteel and Shagang Group, remarkable results have been achieved:

Furnace temperature monitoring accuracy reaches ±5°C, far exceeding the industrial standard of ±10°C;
Full-automatic closed-loop from temperature detection to power adjustment cuts manual intervention frequency by 70%, lowering labor costs;
Equipment failure rate drops by 50%, eliminating production shutdowns triggered by equipment malfunctions and reducing shutdown losses by approximately RMB 500,000 annually for each enterprise;
Stable furnace temperature control raises the steel smelting qualification rate by 3% and cuts production costs by around RMB 80 per ton of steel, delivering substantial economic and safety benefits to Baosteel and Shagang Group.

Up to now, this system has been popularized and deployed on 12 metallurgical furnaces of the two steel giants. Tianjian provides continuous technical iteration and operation & maintenance support, establishing itself as their core R&D partner in metallurgical intelligent manufacturing.