Siemens Metals Technologies offers steel works operators Precon, an energy management system for electrostatic precipitators in dedusting plants. The system includes components for data recording and processing, operator control and monitoring devices, and special software for controlling the precipitators. This enables the operation of the electrostatic precipitators to be matched optimally to the actual operating state of the converter. Depending on the environment and the type of electrostatic precipitator used, the energy consumption can be reduced by between 30% and 50%. The first Precon systems are in operation in a European steel plant.
Photo courtesy of Siemens AG
The electrostatic precipitator forms the heart of primary dedusting plants in steel works. Precon takes into account the various operating states of the converter throughout the complete cycle, and regulates the energy use of the precipitator to match current process conditions. This is achieved by precisely monitoring the power consumption of each individual precipitation field, and by special software to evaluate all the relevant process data. On this basis, the high-voltage supplies to the precipitation fields can be controlled and optimised. The system includes pre-tested hardware, a Siemens Nanobox industrial PC, an integrated programmable logic controller for communication with the high-voltage components of the precipitators and a touch panel for user-friendly operation. The system can be quickly switched from normal to optimised operation.