Modernising the video systems of a steel mill

About the customer

SSAB is a Nordic steel producer operating globally

SSAB has mills in Sweden and Finland. Of the Finnish mills, Raahe is the largest, with several production facilities on the same site. Raahe has two blast furnaces for producing pig iron, a steel melt shop for producing steel slabs and rolling mills for rolling the slabs.

The mill site also has a coking plant, its own port and a power plant. SSAB is investing heavily in fossil-free steel production.

The customer’s challenge

Steelmaking involves many processes with very high temperatures and otherwise hazardous conditions. Cameras have long been used extensively in production, but the old analogue cameras and equipment were reaching the end of their life. New replacement analogue devices and parts may no longer be available at all. Technology has moved on, and in a mill environment analogue signals cause many kinds of problems because they are susceptible to interference.

Production camera images are used mainly in control rooms, where each process is controlled and monitored. Camera images used, for example, to operate cranes are also important. Zero latency has been an advantage of analogue systems, and it had to be retained in the move to new solutions.

How the challenge was met

Mediatrade has long experience in designing and delivering a wide range of video systems, so we were able to take on the customer’s challenges and understood the special requirements of a mill environment. Fibre solutions that work in demanding environments and over long signal distances are a particular speciality of ours. An understanding of different signals and device control solutions was important when selecting equipment. Our product range offered equipment options for every video need.

Some of the Raahe mill’s production facilities run 24/7, so minimising disruption is an important part of the system and equipment choices. Here we relied largely on choices already proven in use.

Users have given positive feedback on the modernised equipment, particularly on the significantly improved image quality.

Complete solution

SDI-based solutions

In modernising the camera systems and video signals, the key requirements were the lowest possible signal latency and interference-free signal transmission. Latency requirements led to SDI-based solutions. Interference-free operation and trouble-free cable runs across the large mill site are achieved with fibre cabling.

Matrix routing

For video signal routing, sufficiently large and scalable solutions were chosen that offer versatile video connectivity. On a mill site, you quickly reach tens or even hundreds of video signals per production process.

Fixed and PTZ cameras

The cameras include both fixed cameras and remotely controlled PTZ cameras. They are often located in difficult and even hot conditions, so all cabling and the cameras themselves are properly protected and housed, taking into account conditions at the mill and the Finnish climate. The housings and protection were largely designed and built by SSAB’s own video team.

Control and monitoring

Control and monitoring are distributed across different control rooms. Each control room has the required camera signals available as individual images and as multiviews on large monitors. The control rooms also have controls for selecting images and operating the PTZ cameras. Latency was also considered when choosing monitors. The control system can be configured flexibly to suit each control room’s needs. It was designed in collaboration with SSAB’s team responsible for video equipment.

Article image: SSAB