Development of non-contact system of signal transmission for rotating ladle turret of continuous caster at Rourkela Steel Plant, India

An indigenous technology for non-contact transmission of signals, in the rotating turret of the caster shop at Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), has been designed and commissioned. Wired cable connections for equipment in hostile steel plant environment caused breakdowns, with associated productivity loss, due to damage to cables. Further, there are areas where cable laying is extremely difficult. It is also common to encounter signal loss when they are transmitted over long distances. Since modern steel plants are designed to deliver consistent productivity and quality, reliable wireless signal communication systems have to be aggressively developed and incorporated to avoid breakdowns and accidents for augmenting system output and efficiency. Wireless transmission of signals the futuristic technology, enables sending and receiving of signals without any physical wires. There was a threefold objective for this development: (1) enhance accuracy of the, ladle weighing system so as to drastically reduce unwanted dumping of steel or generation of return steel, (2) eliminate production loss due to breakdown of slip ring assembly/ control cable and (3) develop expertise in wireless signal transmission technology. The system comprise of radio modem based transceivers, weighing system controllers, hydraulic valve amplifiers, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and special dust proof panels. The application software has been developed in-house. The system, which is in continuous operation since March 2012, is the first of its kind in India.