Intelligent Ironmaking Optimization Service on a Cloud Computing Platform by Digital Twin

Abstract

The shortage of computation methods and storage devices has largely limited the development of multi-objective optimization in industrial processes. To improve the operational levels of the process industries, we propose a multi-objective optimization framework based on cloud services and a cloud distribution system. Real-time data from manufacturing procedures are first temporarily stored in a local database, and then transferred to the relational database in the cloud. Next, a distribution system with elastic compute power is set up for the optimization framework. Finally, a multi-objective optimization model based on deep learning and an evolutionary algorithm is proposed to optimize several conflicting goals of the blast furnace ironmaking process. With the application of this optimization service in a cloud factory, iron production was found to increase by 83.91 t∙d−1, the coke ratio decreased 13.50 kg∙t−1, and the silicon content decreased by an average of 0.047%.

Keywords

• Cloud factory
• Blast furnace
• Multi-objective optimization
• Distributed computation