• Home
  • Solutions
  • Projects
  • News
  • Home
  • Solutions
  • Projects
  • News
  • About us
  • QEHS Policies
  • R&D+i
  • Work with us
  • Media
  • Contact us
  • Events
  • EN
    • ES
Home » Projects » Flexible operations for Celsa Nervacero

Flexible operations for Celsa Nervacero

2017 - Trapaga Valley, Bilbao - Spain

Related Projects

  • Drives and control system upgrade for merchant bar mill commissioned in just 7 days

Celsa Nervacero and Russula upgraded the 800,000 tpy two-strand bar mill, located in Bilbao, Spain. The purpose of the upgrade was to update the legacy control systems and network. 

Update obsolete equipment

Multiple hardware platforms and customized software were integrated together. The rolling mill control system was based on an Ingeteam PLC that communicated by Profibus with the rest of the rolling mill control equipment, Siemens ET200S and ET200SP remote signal stations and drives from three different manufacturers, ABB DCS800, Ingeteam and Siemens Masterdrive. The SCADA system that managed the operation and supervision of the rolling mill was based on an architecture developed by Ingeteam. Celsa Nervacero contracted Russula to simplify and unify the automation configuration.

Multi-phase automation upgrade

In order to minimize the impact on production the project was divided into two phases. The scope of the first phase consisted of upgrading the control system, drives and network for the roughing mill, intermediate mill, and high speed bar mill outlet. The Spooler line had been installed recently and was incorporated into the new HMI system in this phase. The automation upgrade of the cooling bed and bundling area will be implemented in the second phase during a planned shutdown in the future.

Automation Scope

To simplify the mill’s current control configuration, the Celsa Nervacero and Russula team proposed a control architecture based on the Siemens S7-1500 control system, Wonderware Intouch HMI System and a ring network with manageable switches creating virtual networks. Whenever possible existing operator desks, communication cabinets, remote IOs and drives were reused and integrated into the new network to keep project costs down. The automation scope of supply included the following engineering, equipment and on-site services:

Equipment/Engineering
  • Simatic S7-1500 PLC
  • ABB DCS800 DC drives
  • Wonderware Intouch HMI
  • Electric engineering
  • Software engineering
  • Scalance XM416-4C switches
  • On-site Services
  • Electrical installation
  • Installation supervision
  • Start up and production support
  • Training
  • Bar mill commissioned in August 2017

    Phase one of the project was commissioned last August during the summer maintenance shutdown. Up to sixteen members of the Russula team were on-site during the entire month to supervise the installation of the new controllers and  drives, to modify the existing network, to perform system checks and to provide production support during the startup. This automation upgrade was challenging for many reasons; the multiple outlet finishing area equipment configuration, two strand control at high speeds and the sheer quantity of electrical and control changes were all challenges that had to be overcome in a tight downtime window. On August 2nd, the Celsa Nervacero and Russula startup successfully rolled 12mm rebar with the new automation configuration. As the mill production staff tests the entire product range, Russula engineers have remained on-site to give production support.

    “One of the primary benefits of upgrading the mill controls is system reliability. Consistent control translates into other key benefits, such as product quality, uptime and production capacity.”

    Israel Rivera, Maintenance Manager, Celsa Nervacero

    Flexible operations

    The automation upgrade replaced outdated control equipment that improved system reliability, unified mill communications and made the operations more flexible. Now with the new ring network, engineering and maintenance are able to access all areas of the plant. When any equipment malfunctions or becomes exposed to a potential problem, maintenance can pull and trend data from a specific time to help in troubleshooting the root cause of the problem. Key parameter inputs trends are also invaluable for scheduling preventive and corrective maintenance programs. As more products are tested in the coming months, the mill management plans to improve the flexibility of the plant by adding the functionality to roll each strand independent from the other, producing two different products at the same time.

    About Celsa Nervacero Bilbao
    Located in the Trapaga Valley in Bilbao, Spain, the two strand bar mill has a production capacity of 800,000 tons/year and produces rebar, smooth bar and rebar in coil. Billets from the steelworks on site are transferred to the 150 tons/hr hot charging walking-beam furnace via a roller table. After heating to the appropriate temperature, the billets exit the furnace into a breakdown mill and then to a diverter table that feeds the two strand mill, which consists of a 6 stand roughing mill, a 4 stand intermediate mill, and a finishing mill consisting of different blocks depending on the diameter to be rolled. The configuration of the mill is complex, mainly rolling a range of rebar from 8- 32 mm and rebar in coil from 8-25 mm. As such the finishing mill divides into a high speed bar outlet and a spooler outlet.

    Share

    RUSSULA 2022 ® All Rights Reserved - Legal | Privacy | Cookies

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    (Your email will be used to send you news updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.)
    RUSSULA 2020 ® Todos los derechos reservados
      • EN
      • ES
      • Events
      • QEHS Certifications
      • OFFICES
      • Mill Pulse®
      This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Settings
      Privacy & Cookies Policy

      Cookies policy

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while browsing the website. Of these, the cookies that are classified as necessary are stored in your browser, as they are essential for the functioning of the basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt out of receiving these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that guarantee basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
      Name Purpose Observations
      PHPSESSID The PHPSESSID cookie is native to PHP and allows websites to store serialized status data. On the website it is used to establish a user session and to pass status data through a temporary cookie, which is commonly known as a session cookie. These Cookies will only remain on your computer until you close the browser.
      Not necessary
      Cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and are specifically used to collect personal data from the user through analytics, advertisements and other embedded content are called non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to obtain the consent of the user before executing these cookies on your website.
      Name Purpose Observations
      Google analytics (__utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz, _ga) These cookies are used to collect information about the use of our website by visitors. We use the information to compile reports and to improve the site. Cookies collect information anonymously, which includes the number of visitors to the site, the place of origin of the visitors' site and the pages visited. More information in Types of cookies used by Google .
      Youtube(ACTIVITY, APISID, HSID, LOGIN_INFO, PREF, SID, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, YSC, demographics, dkv) YouTube is used to provide useful videos or informational videos. Youtube stores information to be able to generate statistics on the visits of videos embedded in other pages. More information in Types of cookies used by Google .
      Google Maps (APISID, HSID, NID, PREF, S, SAPISID, SID, SSID, S_awfe, khcookie) Show where the offices of our different services are located using Google Maps. More information in Types of cookies used by Google .
      SAVE & ACCEPT