Automation upgrade no.1 blast furnace US steel-Edgar Thomson plant

All blast furnace relines are inherently challenging from an engineering and construction perspective. As a result, extraordinary detail is required in planning and tracking the work. This is particularly true of the process control system, which is always the last piece of the puzzle to be put in place. US Steel has established an engineering philosophy called Design for Start-up (DFSU) where such planning is a requirement for all projects. Under this philosophy, US Steel brings together a project team that includes the appropriate US Steel personnel and their engineering and construction contractors, all of whom are required to know and buy into the project objectives. The application of this philosophy paid off for the Number 1 Blast Furnace reline at the Edgar Thomson Plant of Mon Valley Works in the face of some unique challenges.