As part of its plant recovery efforts, the Indonesian steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel (PTKS) decided on a complete renewal and upgrade of the entire electrical and automation systems in its hot strip mill by SMS. After a lengthy shutdown, the hot strip mill, fitted with the latest automation package, was successfully put into operation and produced the first sellable coil.
SMS group has completed the automation system upgrade of hot strip mill no. 1 at PT Krakatau Steel (Persero), Tbk. (PTKS) in Cilegon, Indonesia, marking a significant milestone with the production of the first sellable coil. According to SMS, this achievement underlined PTKS’s return to the Indonesian market as a producer of hot rolled coils following a lengthy production stoppage and was therefore a particularly crucial step.
The project was initiated as a recovery plan for the drive and automation cabinets in the finishing mill, SMS says. Rather than merely replacing the damaged automation parts in the finishing mill, PTKS opted for a comprehensive upgrade to next-generation automation technology throughout the entire hot strip mill. For the drive system, however, the existing DC drives used for other sections, such as the slab sizing press, roughing mill, down coiler, and other units, were retained. SMS ensured the seamless integration of the new automation system and existing DC drive technology.
At the core of this upgrade is SMS group’s process automation control technology X-Pact, comprising a range of advanced solutions that provide enhanced control, improved diagnostic capabilities, and consistent performance. Additionally, SMS developed Sinamics DC drives with specialized Simotion-based drive control software, thereby ensuring that PTKS maintains high standards of production efficiency and quality.
The scope of supply comprised technological process models such as the X-Pact Pass Schedule Calculation (PSC) model for the roughing and finishing stands, and the X-Pact Cooling Section Control model for strip cooling, designed to ensure fully automatic cooling. The X-Pact Profile, Contour and Flatness process model guarantees a stable rolling process that reliably adheres to strip thickness and flatness tolerances, enabling high-quality products to be manufactured with a wide range of properties and dimensions.
A huge challenge of putting a new automation system on the existing machinery
“SMS group acted like a partner in every sense, and we worked as a team. We are delighted that SMS could achieve our milestone of starting up the plant within 2024. It was a huge challenge of putting a new automation system on the existing machinery,” said Utomo Nugroho, Director of Infrastructure and Operation at PTKS.
The mill has an annual capacity of 2.4 million tons and is capable of manufacturing a diverse range of products, including general structural steels, tubes and pipes, and automotive grades. The mill can handle thicknesses ranging from 1.8 to 25 millimeters and widths from 600 to 2,080 millimeters. This comprehensive upgrade with sophisticated technological capabilities will allow PTKS to regain its market share in the near future, SMS says.
Source: SMS group
