Metallurgical Industry lighting Solution

In recent years, the production of steel mills has increasingly drawn attention along with the vigorous development of the steel industry. With the expansion of production scale and the complication of production processes, the demand for lighting in steel mills has been constantly growing. The ironmaking and steelmaking areas require high lighting brightness, with illuminance needing to reach several hundred lux (Lx) or more. The rolling area and factory roads, on the other hand, place more emphasis on uniformity and stability of illuminance, with requirements ranging from 100Lx to 200Lx. The lighting system in steel mills consumes a large amount of energy, but by adopting intelligent control technologies such as PLC, it can achieve segmented and automatic adjustment, reducing energy consumption. Therefore, the production facilities in steel mills not only affect production efficiency and cost control, but also directly influence product quality, energy consumption, and environmental protection, making them indispensable key elements in the steel industry.

Characteristics of Lighting in Steel Mills

The lighting in steel mills has distinct characteristics, primarily due to the strict requirements for lighting equipment. Given the complex production environment in steel mills, lighting equipment must possess features such as explosion-proof, high-temperature resistance, water and dust resistance, to adapt to harsh conditions like high temperatures, humidity, and dust. Additionally, steel mills have extremely high demands for the brightness and uniformity of lighting to ensure that workers can clearly identify details during precise operations and avoid safety hazards. LED lighting equipment, with its advantages of high brightness, long lifespan, and energy conservation, has been widely applied in steel mill lighting.

In addition, lighting in steel mills also focuses on enhancing production efficiency and ensuring worker safety. A high-quality lighting environment not only effectively boosts workers’ productivity but also reduces the incidence of safety accidents. Through reasonable lighting design, such as using energy-efficient LED fixtures and optimizing the lighting layout, steel mills can ensure production safety while achieving the goal of energy conservation and emission reduction. Therefore, lighting in steel mills is not only an important auxiliary facility in the production process but also a key factor in improving production efficiency, ensuring worker safety, and achieving sustainable development.

Composition of lighting spaces in steel plants and lighting specification requirements

The lighting space of the steel plant is composed of multiple key components, including natural lighting, artificial lighting, intelligent lighting control system and emergency lighting system.

Natural lighting. The natural lighting part of the steel plant’s illumination mainly relies on the design of large windows and skylights to fully utilize natural light for illumination. Research shows that a well-planned natural lighting design can increase the natural light illuminance in the steel plant’s workshops to 500-1000 lx, effectively reducing artificial lighting energy consumption by 30%-40%, while creating a bright and comfortable working environment for employees.

Artificial lighting. The artificial lighting in steel mills is of vital importance. It typically employs high-efficiency lighting equipment such as LED lamps, which are rationally arranged according to the different needs of production areas to ensure that the lighting brightness meets the prescribed standards. For instance, the illuminance in the steelmaking area is generally no less than 300 lx, while in the steel rolling area, it needs to reach over 500 lx. Compared with traditional lighting methods, the overall energy consumption is reduced by 20% to 30%, effectively enhancing the production efficiency and energy utilization rate of the steel mill.

The intelligent lighting control system. The intelligent lighting control system for steel plant lighting integrates computer technology, network communication technology and automatic control technology, achieving refined management and automatic adjustment of lighting equipment. It is estimated that after adopting this system, the lighting energy consumption of the steel plant can be reduced by more than 30%, while improving the lighting quality and production efficiency, bringing significant energy-saving benefits and economic benefits to the steel plant. Emergency lighting system.

The emergency lighting system in the steel plant’s lighting system is also very important. It can quickly start when the main power supply fails, providing workers with clear evacuation routes and necessary lighting to ensure the safe evacuation of personnel. According to relevant standards, the illuminance of emergency lighting fixtures is generally not less than 10% of the normal lighting illuminance, and the emergency lighting system must ensure continuous lighting for at least 30 minutes after a power failure. In some key areas such as the main control room and dispatching room, the emergency lighting system must even ensure continuous operation for more than 3 hours after a power failure, providing a solid guarantee for the safe production of the steel plant.

Illumination standards requirements

Steel plants are functionally divided into areas such as raw material processing, ironmaking, steelmaking, steel rolling, and auxiliary facilities. Corresponding to the diverse spatial designs of these various areas, the lighting environments also differ. The raw material processing area is typically equipped with high-intensity lighting, with an illuminance of over 500 lux. The lighting around blast furnaces and hot blast stoves in the ironmaking area should have an illuminance of no less than 300 lux. For key equipment in the steelmaking area such as converters and electric furnaces, the illuminance needs to reach 500 to 1000 lux. In the steel rolling area, due to the dense equipment and complex processes, the illuminance is generally no less than 750 lux. The lighting in auxiliary facilities areas such as power supply and water treatment is designed based on specific requirements.

The metallurgical workshop is a place with special requirements, and the requirements for lighting fixtures are also very high. The following are the requirements for lighting fixtures in the metallurgical workshop:

1. Explosion-proof performance: The metallurgical workshop is a place where explosive gases are easily generated, so the lighting fixtures must have explosion-proof performance and be able to withstand the impact of explosive gases.

2. High luminous efficiency: The metallurgical workshop requires high-brightness and high-definition lighting effects, so the lighting fixtures must have high luminous efficiency and be able to provide sufficient illuminance and brightness.

3. Heat resistance: The ambient temperature in the metallurgical workshop is relatively high, so the lighting fixtures must be heat-resistant and not easily damaged.

4. Waterproof and dustproof: The environment in the metallurgical workshop is relatively harsh, so the lighting fixtures need to have waterproof and dustproof functions to ensure their service life and safety.

5. Long lifespan: The lighting fixtures in the metallurgical workshop need to have a long lifespan, be able to operate stably for a long time, and reduce the frequency of maintenance and replacement.

For the special requirements of metallurgical workshops, the following explosion-proof lighting solutions can be adopted:

1. Select lighting fixtures that meet explosion-proof requirements, such as flameproof and increased safety types, which can withstand the impact of explosive gases.

2. Use high-efficiency LED lighting fixtures that can provide sufficient illuminance and brightness, while featuring low energy consumption and long lifespan.

3. Optimize the heat dissipation design of the fixtures to ensure stable operation in high-temperature environments.

4. Use waterproof and dustproof lamp housings to withstand the harsh conditions of metallurgical workshops.

5. Reasonably arrange the positions and quantities of lighting fixtures to ensure uniform and adequate lighting effects.

Intelligent lighting control strategies for steel plants

Simplify the scene design.

Many designers often fall into the “trap” of excessive technicalization, that is, they should not merely focus on demonstrating technical complexity while neglecting the lighting requirements and experiences in actual production environments. In the design of intelligent lighting control strategies for steel plants, excessive technicalization should be avoided. Attention should be paid to the actual lighting needs and the operational experiences of employees. The design should strive for simplicity. It is recommended that each lighting scene control action does not exceed five, and the number of condition triggers should be reduced to ensure the stability and reliability of lighting control, and to lower the failure rate and operation and maintenance costs.

In the intelligent lighting control of steel plants, the actual needs should be taken as the guide. For instance, in the steelmaking area, the lighting brightness and color temperature can be automatically adjusted according to the working status of the steelmaking furnace, and at the same time, it can be automatically regulated based on the intensity of natural light.

Illumination brightness. Such a design not only meets the production requirements but also simplifies the complexity of control, enhances the operational experience of employees, and achieves stability, reliability and ease of use in lighting control.

The control mode is usually composed of three parts: distributed control system, programmable logic controller and human-machine interface.

The intelligent lighting control strategy for steel plants relies on three components: distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, and human-machine interfaces. Sensors perceive environmental information within the factory, such as light, temperature, and humidity; controllers receive data and make logical judgments, then issue control instructions; actuators adjust the brightness and color temperature of the lights according to the instructions. The three work together to achieve precise and efficient lighting control, improving production efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and creating a comfortable and energy-saving production environment.

Commonly used products for intelligent lighting control in steel plants

Common products for intelligent lighting control in steel plants include sensor types (light sensors, human body sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, etc.), controller and actuator types (intelligent lighting controllers, dimming modules, power management devices, explosion-proof distribution boxes, etc.), lighting equipment types (LED intelligent lamps, explosion-proof lamps, etc.) and network communication and intelligent management equipment types (network communication devices, intelligent management systems, etc.).