Research and thinking on laminar flow dedicated line production in the steel manufacturing process

In the context of green, low-carbon production, intelligent processes, and high-end products, cross-process dynamic collaborative operation and laminar flow dedicated line production based on self-sensing, self-decision-making, and self-adaptive capabilities are critical for further improving steel process efficiency and product quality stability. They also represent important technical directions for the intelligent upgrading of steel manufacturing processes. When steel enterprises operate multiple production paths simultaneously, frequent path intersections create complex production organization challenges, resulting in two operating modes: laminar flow and turbulence. The turbulence mode is characterized by random waiting events and prolonged transport and waiting times, leading to lower process efficiency, higher energy consumption, unstable product quality, and difficulties in achieving intelligent regulation and control. In contrast, the laminar flow dedicated line production mode features straightforward routes, fewer random intersections and uncertainties, higher operational efficiency, stable output quality, and operating patterns that can be accurately modeled, facilitating intelligent regulation and control. This paper systematically analyzes the macro-management and technical challenges associated with implementing laminar flow dedicated line production in steel processes, identifies the conditions required to support this production mode, and presents its application in the steelmaking section of a representative steel enterprise. From nearly one thousand complex process path combinations, three optimal laminar flow dedicated line production paths were selected. Based on the general principles of laminar flow dedicated line production in steel processes, dedicated line operating rules for multiple production lines and a dynamic simulation model for laminar flow dedicated line production in the steelmaking section were developed. Following implementation of the optimized laminar flow dedicated line production scheme, the total operating time of the SPHE steel RH single refining route steelmaking section decreased from 223.9 min to 196.3 min, resulting in a 12.3% improvement in operational efficiency and substantially enhanced production performance.