Press release -
New research enables considerable savings for the steel industry
“The next step concerning proactive maintenance is now taken in close collaboration between Sandvik, SSAB, Ovako and ABB. Considerable savings can be made regarding machines and raw material,” says project manager Niclas Björsell at University of Gävle.
To a large extent, traditional maintenance builds on principles from the childhood of the steel industry, relying mainly on manual labour and scheduled maintenance tasks. For several years, researchers at University of Gävle have studied machines used in the industry and now they have succeeded in creating algorithms that can be directly applied on existing machinery.
“Now, we can detect in real time if a machine starts to malfunction, signals that would go unnoticed otherwise. This means considerable savings for the plant in question but also for the environment, as raw materials are destroyed when production stops,” Niclas Björsell says.
In the process industries, just as in the paper industry, manufacturing processes are typically long, and if there is a breakdown somewhere in the chain, the whole chain will break down, even if some machines still function well.
“Our perspective is unique as we look at the whole chain. Moreover, our research can be used directly by the industry. We also collaborate with Jernkontoret, Swedish iron and steel producers’ association,” Niclas Björsell says.
Researchers will transfer knowledge to the industry
Muhammad Hassan, a researcher at the University, has been working closely with the industry for several years. Now, he is going to adapt the algorithms for use in existing control and monitoring systems at the plants.
“My focus is to adapt our system to enable it to communicate directly with an operator. It is all about speed, otherwise the machine will break down or the delivery will not be of such high quality as you would like it to be,” Muhammad Hassan says.
Costly maintenance
The steel industry’s need for strategies concerning maintenance has increased because of an accelerating pace of change in the business environment. Calculations by Jernkontoret show that the cost of maintenance, or lack of maintenance, is now around 13-14 percent of the market value of steel.
Text: Douglas Öhrbom
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Contact:
Niclas Björsell, professor in electronics and researcher at University of Gävle
Phone: 026-64 87 95, 076-855 57 88
E-mail: niclas.bjorsell@hig.se
Muhammad Hassan, PhD student at University of Gävle
Phone: 073-890 18 19
E-mail: muhammad.hassan@hig.se
Topics
- Business enterprise
Categories
- university of gävle
- niclas björsell
- research
- ssab
- predictive maintenance
- sandvik
- abb
- muhammad hassan
- strategic maintenance
- the steel industry
Education and Research at a Scenic Campus.
The University of Gävle has approximately 17 000 students, more than 50 study programmes and second-cycle programmes, about 1 000 courses in humanities, social and natural sciences and technology.
Research Profiles
Built Environment and Health-promoting Working Life are the general research profiles of the higher education institution. Important parts included are Spatial Planning with a specialisation in Sustainable Built Environment and Musculoskeletal Disorders with the purpose to prevent work-related injuries. In 2010, the higher education institution received permission to carry out third-cycle programmes in the profile area of Built Environment.
The higher education institution has applied for permission to carry out third-cycle programmes in technology, humanities and social sciences.
