Energy savings solutions in steel industry

The heat and power needed to produce steel give a burden on CO2 emissions and energy bills of steel companies. That’s why steel mills are looking for ways to reduce their energy usage. The first thing that comes to mind for metal companies like steelworks to reduce their energy bill, is to save gas that is used in the melting process. But did you know compressed air is a large energy consumer in steel industries as well? If you are searching for ways to reduce energy costs in your steel production, please consider looking at your air compression and technical gas systems as well. Measuring is an important step to take to reduce these costs.

Why measuring saves energy and gasses like nitrogen and argon

In the search for reducing energy costs, many easily oversee the savings potential of compressed air or technical gas systems. Measuring your compressed air or gas system, provides insight into large consumers, leakage, incompetent use, and maintenance management. Measuring delivers actual data to justify improvement investments and maintenance management. It shows you how, where, and when to save. It is time to reduce your costs. But how much is the potential return on investment (ROI) in your plant? Consult our calculator below to find out.

Usage of compressed air in steel production

Compressed air is widely used in steel production; here are the most common compressed air applications:

• Air for operating instruments: many instruments in steel production rely on compressed air. Two common examples are: operating presses or pneumatic conveying.
• Blast furnace: to reach the right melting point, compressed hot air is needed to melt iron ore/scraps, coke and limestone in a blast furnace.
• Cooling down: to produce a consistent quality of steel, the cooling process is very important. A mixture of water and compressed air is needed to quickly cool down the hot slab or billet.
• Producing coke: Compressed air is used in the production of coke. Bituminous coal is heated to high temperatures. During this process, air is needed.

Usages of argon and nitrogen in steel and aluminum production

Besides compressed air, gasses like argon and nitrogen are also very important in steel production. Also, these gasses are needed to produce . The most important applications of nitrogen and argon in aluminum and steel production are:

• Degassing aluminum and steel to remove (chemical) impurities;
• Removing oxygen to prevent oxidation;
• Cutting applications (like plasma and laser cutting);
• Coating;
• Welding;
• Oxygen furnace: making the steel liquid requires almost pure oxygen.