Reduction of the Specific Energy Use in an Integrated Steel Plant-The Effect of an Optimisation Model

Abstract

Analysing the potential for improving the specific energy use in a steel mill can be difficult due to the interactions between the different subsystems. Changes in one unit can lead to several changes throughout the system. A process integration model taking into account the different interactions within the system is presented. The model is based on an optimising routine, making it a total analysis method for the steel plant system including the surroundings. The model is used to analyse the different possibilities for energy savings and practice changes within the system. The effect of optimising the total system versus separate optimisation of the different sub-processes is illustrated. The method development can serve as a benchmark for different steelmaking operations and constitute a basis for the continuous work involved in energy, material or economic analyses for the steel production system.