Optimised productivity and quality by on-line control of picklet surface (HIGHPICK) : final report

The objective of the project is an enhanced mastering of the pickling process and more precisely gaining high productivity and quality standards. This objective is to be attained via intensive monitoring of the process and the treated strip and via deep knowledge and process modelling. It is foreseen in the same time to look for savings in acid and energy consumption and address the case of sensible grades. Most of the objectives have been fulfilled (even in some cases data that came out during the project forced to adapt the work strategy). So it can be reported that at the end of the project a wide knowledge and a wide-ranging control system have been developed. In more details : • The analysis of acid and iron content has been developed in laboratory and validated in side-of-line tests • A model of pickling line has been attempted; after many unsuccessful tests, it exhibited good results when based on balanced 'virtual dataset' • Those two developments can be linked to constitute a feed-forward control to preset the line • An under-pickling optical sensor has been developed and tested in an industrial line ; it proved to be robust and detect efficiently under-pickled areas • An over-pickling sensor based on hydrogen emission has been developed and tested on line ; it appear directly linked to all over-pickling occurrence • An electrochemical method was developed to evaluate inhibitor via emitted hydrogen • Those 3 last developments can be grouped to form a powerful feed-back control of the pickling line. Some of the developments are already about to go on the market, being ready for diffusion.