Application of digital twin for industrial process control: A case study of gauge-looper-tension optimized control in strip hot rolling

<ns3:p>Background During the hot rolling process, the performance of most control systems gradually degrades due to equipment aging and changing process conditions. However, existing gauge-looper-tension control method remain restricted by a lack of intelligent parameter maintenance strategies. Methods To address this challenge and enhance the smart manufacturing capabilities of strip hot rolling, based on the digital twin method, this paper proposes a data-driven optimized control method for the gauge-looper-tension system of strip hot rolling. First, a hot rolling process model is constructed based on a digital twin method to serve as an evaluation and optimization platform. Subsequently, relevant data are collected to calculate the Hurst index for identifying the performance of the controller during the rolling process. Additionally, for controllers with poor Hurst index values, the crayfish optimization algorithm is employed for adjusting controller parameters to maximum the Hurst index. Results A real case of hot rolling steel production was used to validate the proposed data-driven optimized control method. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed evaluation method can effectively recognize the state of gauge-looper-tension controller. Moreover, after optimizing the controller parameters through crayfish optimization algorithm (COA), the value of Hurst index showed significant improvement. Conclusions The proposed digital twin -based optimized control method effectively enhance the manufacturing capability and maintain strategy of hot rolling steel production. Through the proposed method, the Hurst index of gauge-looper-tension system increasing from 0.574 to 0.862.</ns3:p>