Energy Analysis
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Analyses of how energy is used help the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to focus R&D and help steel companies to identify the best opportunities for savings. Take advantage of our free tools and publications as well as the studies listed below. The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Steel Industry Analysis Brief 
The Industrial Technologies Program, in partnership with the Energy Information Administration, has created an Industry Brief that captures information on the economics, energy use, technologies, and management activities that affect the steel industry.
Theoretical Minimum Energies to Produce Steel
A recent ITP study has determined the theoretical minimum energy requirements for producing steel from ore, scrap, and direct reduced iron. Dr. Richard Fruehan's report, Theoretical Minimum Energies to Produce Steel for Selected Conditions (September, 2002), provides insight into the potential energy savings (and associated reductions in carbon dioxide emissions) for ironmaking, steelmaking, and rolling processes (PDF 459 KB).
Expert Analyzes Energy Saving Opportunities for Steel Industry
Renowned industry expert Dr. John Stubbles has projected the energy savings that the U.S. steel industry could reasonably expect to achieve over the next 10 years. These projects are the subject of a new report from ITP's steel team, Energy Use in the U.S. Steel Industry: Historical Perspective and Future Opportunities (PDF 432 KB). The report examines the potential impacts of state-of-the-art technologies and operating practices, as well as structural changes in the industry itself.
IronMaking Process Alternatives Screening Study
This study (PDF 2.6 MB) by Lockwood Greene evaluates a number ironmaking processes. The appendices provide greater detail and further exploration of the ironmaking processes, including components, relative costs, and comparisons.
- Appendix A - Ironmaking Process Description and Background (PDF 3.1 MB)
- Appendix B - Process Component Spreadsheets (PDF 525 KB)
- Appendix C - Process Summary Spreadsheets (PDF 2.7 MB)
- Appendix D - Listings of Detailed Process Spreadsheets (PDF 1.5 MB)
- Appendix E - MetSim® Ironmaking Process Simulations (PDF 5.4 MB)
- Appendix F - Summary of Consumables and Relative Cost Estimates (PDF 6.0 MB)
- Appendix G - Rankings of Processes (PDF 315 KB)
- Appendix H - Bibliography (PDF 213 KB)
Steel Industry Energy Bandwidth Study
ITP recently conducted a study on energy use and potential savings, or "bandwidth" study, in major steelmaking processes. Intended to provide a realistic estimate of the potential amount of energy that can be saved in an industrial process, the "bandwidth" refers to the difference between the amount of energy that would be consumed in a process using commercially available technology versus the minimum amount of energy needed to achieve those same results based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The Steel Industry Energy Bandwidth Study (PDF 133 KB) also estimates steel industry energy use in the year 2010, and uses that value as a basis for comparison against the minimum requirements. This energy savings opportunity for 2010 will aid focus on longer term R&D.
Steel Industry Marginal Opportunity Analysis
The Steel Industry Marginal Opportunity Analysis (PDF 347 KB) identifies opportunities for developing advanced technologies and estimates both the necessary funding and the potential payoff. This analysis determines what portion of the energy bandwidth can be captured through the adoption of state-of-the-art technology and practices. R&D opportunities for addressing the remainder of the bandwidth are characterized and plotted on a marginal opportunity curve.
Steel Energy and Environmental Profile
Major steelmaking processes (from ironmaking through fabrication and forming) and their associated energy requirements have been profiled in this 2001 report (PDF 582 KB). This profile by Energetics, Inc. also describes the waste streams generated by each process and estimates annual emissions of CO2 and criteria pollutants.