THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
ROURKELA,
SEPTEMBER 25, 2026
Rourkela Steel Plant
(RSP) has developed and successfully deployed an in-house artificial
intelligence (AI)-based real-time fire and smoke detection system for
Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) transformers at its Sinter Plant-3, an
initiative aimed at strengthening industrial safety and preventing
equipment-related disruptions.
Developed by the
Digital Quality Circle (QC) team ‘Yantra Dristi’ of RSP’s Digitalisation
Department, the system uses an AI-based model integrated with the plant’s
existing CCTV/IP camera network to enable continuous surveillance of critical
transformer installations.
The initiative seeks
to address the risk of fire incidents at ESP transformers, which can potentially
escalate into equipment shutdowns, production losses, safety risks and
significant financial damage.
As part of the
project, the required infrastructure, including cameras, servers and networking
arrangements, was put in place to facilitate real-time monitoring, alarm
generation and notification. A prototype was initially installed near selected
ESP transformers for on-site evaluation.
The system was
subsequently subjected to trial runs under actual plant operating conditions to
assess its real-time detection capability, alert-generation mechanism, response
time and reliability.
The trials were
conducted under challenging industrial conditions, including dust, steam,
fluctuating illumination and high-temperature surroundings. The results
demonstrated the potential of AI-enabled visual surveillance in identifying
abnormal fire and smoke conditions at an early stage and supporting prompt
intervention.
The technology is
expected to help eliminate monitoring blind spots and strengthen continuous
surveillance of critical equipment, thereby contributing to fire-risk
mitigation and improved operational reliability.
The project was undertaken under the guidance of RSP CGM, NPM & Digitalisation R K Muduli and facilitated by Assistant Manager, Digitalisation A Behera.
The Digital QC team ‘Yantra Dristi’ comprised Engineering Associates H B P Nayak, K Murmu and T K Mishra, along with Junior Engineering Associate P Sarkar.
