Strategic analysis of energy efficiency projects: Case study of a steel mill in Manitoba

Shirley Thompson and Minxing Si

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2014, vol. 40, issue C, 814-819

Abstract: An analysis of energy efficiency opportunities at a steel mill were undertaken using two energy modeling tools, the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software (RETScreen) and the Process Heat Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST). A number of energy efficiency opportunities were found to be feasible in this analysis at Gerdau North America Long Steel-Manitoba Mill. The waste heat recovery opportunities included: (1) preheating combustion air in the ladle preheater, with an estimated energy savings of 22,000GJ/yr and a payback period of 10 months; and, (2) preheating billets with an estimated energy savings of 60,323GJ/yr and a payback period of three years. Changing natural gas space heaters to more energy efficient and safer models was both socially and economically beneficial, although having a longer payback period of 4.5 years. Oxy-fuel combustion was not deemed feasible as oxygen costs negated any natural gas savings and the productivity gains were not considered applicable. The strategic analysis showed that environmental, economic and productivity benefits were larger than the smaller concerns of: production interruption, the economic barriers of capital costs, as well as the risks posed by a downturn in the economy or by outsourcing.

Keywords: Energy efficiency; Steel mini-mill; Steel; RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software (RETScreen); Process Heat Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114005929
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:40:y:2014:i:c:p:814-819

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.140

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().