2005-12-07 - ABB has won an order to upgrade the Queen Victoria blast furnace control system at Corus’ Scunthorpe steel works.
The existing control system, ABB MasterPiece 200 with MasterView 850 operator stations, has provided a reliable service since it was commissioned in 1988 and is now being replaced with the latest ABB System 800xA, including two AC450 controllers.
With the shutdown fixed to start in April 2006, it is essential to Corus that the system is available for installation and to be fully tested well before the shutdown period commences.
In order to meet the aggressive schedule, ABB was selected, as it has a proven track record at Scunthorpe. They will be re-using much of the control software previously applied to Queen Bess, a sister furnace of Queen Victoria, together with a new reporting and data hand-off system based on the latest open system technology.
Neil Baldwin, project manager for ABB says: “Management reporting in the new system will be much better. All data from the controller will be available to management staff, making it easy for them to have overall control of what the blast furnace is doing.”
The existing Masterview 850 system will be replaced by an 800xA Process Portal, with six Operator Consoles and two parallel Information Reporting Workstations. Some 2500 I/O will be handled by ABB S800 modules, together with a link to the earlier S100 units.
As a vital part of the contract, ABB is also supplying hopper load cells and seven Millmate MC400W weigher panels for use in the stock house and for control in furnace loading.