A Review on the Optimization of Molten Iron Scheduling in the Blast Furnace - Converter Section of Steel Production

In the steel industry, the blast furnace - converter section is the core link connecting ironmaking and steelmaking. It is confronted with the dispatching pressure brought about by the sharp increase in orders, as well as challenges such as temperature drop, equipment utilization rate, and process coordination. The traditional manual scheduling mode is no longer suitable for the demands of intelligence, and there is a gap between the existing theory and practice. This article reviews the current research status of this section: The blast furnace area enhances production capacity and turnover rate through models such as logistics balance; The traveling area uses models such as spatio-temporal network flow to reduce conflicts and shorten transportation time. The steelmaking area optimizes the pretreatment through dynamic process scheduling and other measures to reduce temperature drop and equipment idleness. The "One package to the end" model and digital systems achieve full-process collaboration. Finally, the current challenges and future research directions of the blast furnace - converter section in steel production were discussed.