Innovative technologies make the steel industry more efficient

The use of new innovative technologies in the steel industry will help to produce the quantities of heat and energy necessary for this industry. As such, it is not the first sector that comes to mind when we talk about energy efficiency and sustainability.

However, the industry is taking steps to improve its environmental credentials, using a number of innovative technologies to reduce the impact of steel production on the environment.

An example is the use of ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) turbines at the Ori Martin steel factory in Brescia, located in northern Italy, which produces hot-rolled steels for the mechanical and automotive industries. During the summer, the ORC system generates enough energy from waste heat to meet the electricity consumption needs of 700 local families. During the winter, the residual heat is used to heat 2,000 households through the local heating network.

This reduces the factory’s carbon footprint by 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Also, the need for water cooling is eliminated.

The heat recovery system, installed by a third party, and the ORC turbine, installed by the company Turboden, part of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, capture the exhaust gases and transform them into electrical and thermal energy. They are based on conventional steam turbine systems in power plants. Instead of generating steam from water, the ORC system vaporizes an organic fluid. This not only eliminates the need for water, but also allows the turbines to operate at lower speeds and pressures. Using less energy – while minimizing metal erosion. It is a low-cost system that requires limited maintenance, that does not need a qualified operator, because it runs automatically.

Innovative technologies in the steel industry – Air cleaning

In addition, steel companies are finding ways to literally „clean up” their production process. To fulfill the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements.

For every metric ton of steel produced, 10-25 kilograms of dust accumulates, which then enters the atmosphere.

Gas cleaning is an effective dedusting solution that cleans the dust from the exhaust air. And it keeps the production within the strict emission limits. A reliable system that reduces operating costs and contributes to increasing the sustainability of the steel production process.

Tomorrow’s steel producers will be smarter

Technological developments increase the efficiency of the industry in other ways as well. The fourth industrial revolution allows technology to work in ever closer harmony with various aspects of metal production. Transforming the way steel is manufactured.

In addition to transforming traditional production environments into highly automated „smart” installations, digitalization allows the various parts of the steelmaking process to interact and perform to their full potential.

Future systems will discover the optimal way to produce steel with minimal resources.

Along with improving efficiency, this will also help reduce the environmental impact of steel production throughout the manufacturing process.

Article source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mitsubishiheavyindustries/2018/12/11/these-innovative-technologies-are-making-the-steel-industry-more-efficient/#3f511f08b861