Modernization of a sintering furnace for a sintering belt
As part of the modernization of a sintering line, the existing ignition furnace was to be brought up to the latest technical standards. The goal of the project was to sustainably improve the plant’s energy efficiency, increase operational reliability, and create a future-proof automation solution. The existing burner technology and control architecture no longer met current requirements for efficiency, transparency, and functional safety. At the same time, the new solution had to be seamlessly integrated into the existing process landscape without disrupting production operations. Specific requirements arose from the need for safe control and monitoring of the burner technology, as well as the implementation of current standards and safety requirements for industrial furnace systems.
gefeba modernized the entire automation and safety system of the ignition furnace. The existing burners were completely replaced, and the entire control structure was rebuilt based on a fail-safe Siemens CPU 410-5H. All standard and safety inputs and outputs were integrated via a shared, decentralized Profibus-based peripheral system. SIMATIC PCS 7 with the latest APL library was used for integration into the higher-level process environment. This enabled the ignition furnace to be fully integrated into the central control system. Particular emphasis was placed on mixture control based on the double-cross principle. This method ensures an optimal gas-air mixture and guarantees safe and energy-efficient operation even during dynamic load changes. The calorific value of the gas used is continuously determined via a reference combustion chamber and automatically incorporated into the control system. In addition, all safety-critical sensors and actuators were processed in the fail-safe control section and programmed using PCS7 F-Systems. Extensive simulations and tests supported the reliable implementation of the new automation solution.
The modernization project resulted in a high-performance, future-proof furnace control system. The combination of modern burner technology, intelligent control, and fail-safe automation enables significantly more efficient operation and sustainably reduces energy consumption. At the same time, operational safety has been significantly improved, as all safety-related functions were implemented in accordance with current standards and certified in collaboration with TÜV Rheinland. The new system provides a high degree of transparency for plant operations, improves the control quality of the ignition furnace, and lays the foundation for the long-term economic and safe operation of the sintering plant.
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Our project work is supported by collaborations with leading technology partners such as Siemens, Rittal, B&R, and Proxmox, which provide the technological foundation for our project results and help expand them.
