Infrared vision systems for the steel industry
November 2007
Temperature Measurement
Software for use with a number of thermal imagers that measures vital parts of the South African steel industry has been successfully developed by Westplex. These applications use FLIR thermal imagers and were developed in cooperation with the FLIR's South African distributors.
Steel pour slag measurement
When tapping liquid steel from a blast furnace it is difficult for an operator to visually discriminate between molten steel and slag as the steel stream is very bright at temperatures of around 1650°C. In front of a thermal imager the slag appears significantly brighter than the steel since it has a higher emissivity than steel. By processing this information, Westplex is able to perform a number of measurement actions as well as warn the operator when the slag stream is beginning.
Billet inspection
Once billets have been cast they are shipped to various high value clients where they are processed into articles such as steering knuckles and drive shafts. It is critically important that any cracks in the steel are discovered before the billet is processed, since a crack could end up in a final product where it could propagate and fail. By conducting thermal inspection on the billets before they leave the factory, the cracks which usually originate in the surface on the mould/billet interface can be located, automatically marked and then ground out before shipping. Westplex has created the sophisticated thermal image capture, diagnostic algorithms and marking processes necessary to facilitate this process.
Steel Billet defect detection systems of this type are in operation in South Africa and Germany.
Hot vessel monitoring
Many reduction process companies use very large vessels to produce hot air, gasses and plasmas. A typical example would be the stoves used on hot blast systems in the steel industry where vast chambers of honeycomb bricks store heat to injection into the blast furnace. If refractory integrity breaks down, the stove can rupture catastrophically.
Westplex, in conjunction with other companies, has developed the monitoring and control system necessary to safely check these types of vessels 24 hours a day The entire risk area of the vessels is monitored with customised alarm systems watching high, very high and rate of change alarm conditions.
About FLIR
FLIR Systems (www.flir.com) is a leading manufacturer of innovative imaging systems that include infrared cameras, aerial broadcast cameras and machine vision systems. The company’s products play pivotal roles in a wide range of industrial, commercial and government activities in more than 60 countries. Pioneers in the commercial infrared camera industry, the company has been supplying thermography and night vision equipment to science, industry, law enforcement and the military for over 30 years. From predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, non-destructive testing, R&D, medical science, temperature measurement and thermal testing to law enforcement, surveillance, security and manufacturing process control, FLIR offers an extensive selection of infrared cameras for beginners to pros. With over 60 offices and the largest installed infrared camera base in the world, FLIR offers its customers service, post-sale technical application support, infrared cameras and thermography applications training.
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