Retrofit of steam power plants in a steel mill

This article presents a systematic methodology for the analysis and design of steam power plants in a typical steel mill. Therein most of the steam is produced by applying synthesis gas, a side-product from the coke processing plants. This offers the opportunity of energy integration with vicinal companies using fuel oil or natural gas for generating steam. Components of this work include the energy reallocation and the retrofitted design of steam systems. In this study, the current strategy of energy utilization for existing sites in a steel mill is first assessed. In this regard, the energy policy is adjusted in order to enhance the performance and reduce the costs of the steam power plants. Thereafter, the retrofit is taken into account to evaluate the potential energy for the integration. The problems are formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear program based on a superstructure approach. The results of an industrial case study show that the energy integration among plants is benefit, which provides incentive to promote the cooperation of neighboring companies in an eco-industrial park.