The SILENT consortium is coordinated by CSM following the guidelines of the RFCS program and it has defined a clear-cut assignment of responsibilities and tasks to be performed by the partners. The project is divided into 7 complementary and interrelated work packages (WPs) as illustrated below:

Project Details

WP1 - Project Coordination and Management

Objective:
Ensure effective coordination, quality control, risk management, and dissemination.

Key Activities:
  • Coordinate project meetings and monitor progress.
  • Prepare reports and deliverables with input from all partners.
  • Manage risks and ensure quality standards.
  • Disseminate results across the European and international steel sector, respecting confidentiality and IPR.

Activities and results:
During the 'Digital-4-Environment' workshop (Feb. 2024), a poster was presented

WP2 - System Requirements and Data Inventory

Objective:
Define system requirements and data sources through industrial use cases and social analysis.

Activities and results:
  • Defined system requirements for the plants of both the industrial partners.
  • Identified the most relevant process data, secured access to meteorological data (through on-site stations and web sites) and gathered Historical and current acoustic data from communities near the plants.
  • Defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate system performance and noise reduction effectiveness.
  • Collected stakeholder feedback through interviews and questionnaires with workers, management, and local residents.

WP3 - Platform Design and Sensor Deployment

Objective:
Define the software platform, development methodology, and deploy acoustic monitoring systems.

Activities and results:
  • Defined the methodological framework for data acquisition, management, and software development with ML integration for a Decision Support System.
  • Selected software platforms, programming tools, and databases compatible with industrial IT for algorithm development and ML/statistical analysis.
  • Industrial partners and consortium chose the type and location of sound level sensors for required measurements.
  • Analysis of complaints and official data revealed significant noise issues near APERAM, with direct questionnaires as the most reliable source.

WP4 - Data Collection and Pre-processing

Objective:
Collect industrial and acoustic data and develop pre-processing algorithms for ML applications.

Activities and results:
  • Hypothesized a possible acoustic signal and development of the calculations to identify the threshold for impulsive phenomena and a neural models that will be used to predict noise levels
  • The collection of weather and acoustic data has started (FENO case)

WP5 - Development of ML-Based Models

Objective:
Develop machine learning and hybrid models tailored to each industrial case study.

Activities and results:
  • The development of ML and hybrid models for noise prediction is delayed due to insufficient data from industrial servers.

WP6 - Decision Support System and User Interface

Objective:
Develop decision support tools and design an intuitive user interface.

Activities and results:
  • The two industrial partners have defined the first version of their DSSs with a first draft of the activities and countermeasures to be adopted in case of exceeding the tolerable thresholds.

WP7 - System Validation, Guidelines and Training

Objective:
Test the SILENCE system in real industrial settings, assess results, and support future deployment.

Future work:
  • Implement and validate the DSS at FENO and APERAM through field tests and operator feedback.
  • Compare pre- and post-implementation acoustic data to evaluate system effectiveness.
  • Develop industrialization guidelines and assess economic feasibility.
  • Organize training modules for operators and evaluate social impact through surveys.
Work Projects