THE ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF BLAST FURNACE USING PAMCO METHOD

One of the basic factors influencing the good results of any production system is the optimal organization of the production process so that the use of machines is as effective as possible. One of the methods of assessing the use of machine working time is the PAMCO (Project Analysis and Monitoring Company) method. The main goal of the paper is the presentation of results of PAMCO method of blast furnace working in one of Polish steelworks. The analysis includes data related to different types of time for calculating appropriate indexes. The analysis covers the period of one calendar year.


INTRODUCTION
Blast furnace process is the basic manufacturing process of pig iron and the first step in steel production chain. It is a device which works continuously. Blast furnace process is very complex and involves enormous streams of materials and energy. There are many factors influencing the production costs, among them are: the use of well-prepared and high-quality materials and fuels, maintenance of parameters of blast furnace process at the optimum level and the most efficient use of working time of the installation [1]. The paper focused on the working time of selected blast furnace device. Analysis of efficiency of working time should be divided into two parts: Overall Equipment Effectiveness -OEE and PAMCO. The results of OEE analysis was presented in other work [2]. The main goal of this paper is the presentation of results of PAMCO method of blast furnace conducted in one of Polish steelworks. The analysis includes data related to different types of time for calculating appropriate indexes. The analysis covers the period of one calendar year.

PAMCO -METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH
One of the basic goals of any enterprise is the optimal use of its resources. To assess their use, one can use many technical and economic indicators, which include, among others, productivity or efficiency. One of the methods used to assess the efficiency of machines and equipment is PAMCO. The PAMCO method is used to measure the performance of machines and is based on indicators that are defined based on the time structure [24]. The PAMCO method shows the measurement values and reports the operation of machines and technical devices. This method also determines the working time of the tested devices, reduces the number of parameters used, giving a picture of the measurement of these devices [25]. Time, according to the PAMCO method, was divided into types presented in Table 1.
Research was conducted in one of Polish steelworks. One blast furnace was selected. The analysis covers the monthly data of the period of one calendar year. During the analysis, on the beginning the information about the work of the device was collected, then main indicators were calculated according to the Table 1 formulas (1) - (8). Values were compared to the average and optimum values.

THE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
Analysis of PAMCO indicators for blast furnace device was conducted. Values of basic indicators were calculated according to gathered data and were compared to the average values in the study period. Results of this analysis are presented in Figures 1-7.
The PAMCO analysis conducted for the selected blast furnace device (Figures 1-7) allowed for the conclusion that: • Production Efficiency (PE) indicates what part of the production time is the effective time (less unplanned stops). The average value of the index was approx. 99.6%. In four months it was lower than the average, the lowest value was recorded in July. It was caused mainly by energetic breaks. However, this indicator was still at a high level and exceeded the optimal value (95%). • Available Utilization (AU) defines the percentage of operational time in the available time (planned nonoperational time is taken into account) and its value should be at least 90%. During the study period, the average value of over 88% was obtained, slightly below the optimal value. The lowest values were recorded in months 3 and 9-11, which was related to the planned current repairs of the device.
• Asset Availability (AA) is the percentage of available time in total time, and it should be at level of minimum 97%. Because the blast furnace device work continuously, value of this indicator is 100%. • Asset Utilization (AUT) shows how much of the total time is used, and how much of that time is downtime due to lack of orders or material. The average value of this indicator was above 96%. In this case, value below the average was recorded in month 9. Throughout the entire period, the optimal value (65%) was exceeded.
• Production utilization (PU) indicates what part of the total time is the production time and what part of the time is spent on interruptions related to the available unused time, repairs and routine stops. The average value of this indicator throughout the period was over 87%, and it significantly exceeded the optimal value of 60%. In months 2, 9-11 it was well below the average due to significant downtime in the operation of the machine.
• Production utilization (OU) was on the same level as AU, since the bases of reference in both indicators (time available for AU and total time for OU) are the same. The optimal value was significantly exceeded.
The indicator of effective utilization EU (average level of approx. 87%) usually significantly exceeded the requirements (50%), which proves the good organization of production and optimal use of blast furnace working time. Moreover, the values of this indicator were very close to the PU indicator.

CONCLUSION
Conducting continuous evaluation of efficiency of working time of machines is very helpful for all organization, because it allows assessing current situation, identify factors, which should be improved, and optimize their work. Many various methods can be used in such situation, one of them is PAMCO. In this work the analysis was conducted for selected blast furnace device working in one of Polish steelworks. The results show that main indicator of this analysis is on very high level and exceeds the minimum values what proves the high efficiency of working. In case of blast furnace many factors can influence on the values of indicators: situation on the steel market in Poland and the world, demand for raw materials, work organization of blast furnace, number of repairs, length of breaks and stops, way of working of device. Such analysis should be done continuously, and the results should be compared with similar devices that work in other steel plants.