A Comparison of Iron and Steel Production Energy Use and Energy Intensity in China and the U.S.

Abstract

Production of iron and steel is an energy-intensive manufacturing process. In 2006, the iron and steel industry accounted for 13.6% and 1.4% of primary energy consumption in China and the U.S., respectively (U.S. DOE/EIA, 2010a; Zhang et al., 2010). The energy efficiency of steel production has a direct impact on overall energy consumption and related carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. The goal of this study is to develop a methodology for making an accurate comparison of the energy intensity (energy use per unit of steel produced) of steel production. The methodology is applied to the steel industry in China and the U.S. The methodology addresses issues related to boundary definitions, conversion factors, and indicators in order to develop a common framework for comparing steel industry energy use.This study uses a bottom-up, physical-based method to compare the energy intensity of China and U.S. crude steel production in 2006. This year was chosen in order to maximize the availability of comparable steel-sector data. However, data published in China and the U.S. are not always consistent in terms of analytical scope, conversion factors, and information on adoption of energy-saving technologies. This study is primarily based on published annual data from the China Iron & Steel Association and National Bureau of Statistics in China and the Energy Information Agency in the U.S. This report found that the energy intensity of steel production is lower in the United States than China primarily due to structural differences in the steel industry in these two countries. In order to understand the differences in energy intensity of steel production in both countries, this report identified key determinants of sector energy use in both countries. Five determinants analyzed in this report include: share of electric arc furnaces in total steel production, sector penetration of energy-efficiency technologies, scale of production equipment, fuel shares in the iron and steel industry, and final steel product mix in both countries. The share of lower energy intensity electric arc furnace production in each country was a key determinant of total steel sector energy efficiency. Overall steel sector structure, in terms of average plant vintage and production capacity, is also an important variable though data were not available to quantify this in a scenario. The methodology developed in this report, along with the accompanying quantitative and qualitative analyses, provides a foundation for comparative international assessment of steel sector energy intensity.

Quantifying CO2 emission reduction from industrial symbiosis in integrated steel mills in China

“…We recommended the system boundary setting described in Fig. 1, which was adapted from the widely used guideline made by WSA and representative studies done in the Chinese context (Hasanbeigi et al, 2014;Shangguan et al, 2010a,b;WSA, 2009). It excluded the upstream processes of transportation, mining and dressing-washing of coal and iron ore.…”

Using energy requirements to compare the suitability of alternative methods for broadcast and site-specific weed control

“…Reflecting the consumable-inclusive approach taken in this review, the loss of steel from the working surfaces of tillage implements has been included as intrinsic energy consumption. The production of steel in the United States requires approximately 14.9 MJ kg −1 and up to 20.0 MJ kg −1 once transmission and distribution losses are incorporated (Hasanbeigi et al 2011). Based on field and controlled-environment testing, wear rates were found to be 90 to 210 g ha −1 of steel for plowshares, 60 to 135 g ha −1 for cultivators, and 30 to 96 g ha −1 for harrows in sandy loam soils (Bayhan 2006;Horvat et al 2008).…”

Understanding China’s past and future energy demand: An exergy efficiency and decomposition analysis

“…In some cases, we extend the IEA end energy use breakdown to more granular levels (e.g. road fuel split between transport modes) by supplementing Chinese end consumption data in three key areas: buildings [3,[44][45][46][47][48]; transport [49][50][51][52][53]; and industry [54][55][56][57][58].…”

“…Steel and ammonia industries are adopted (as with US-UK study) as representative of High Temperature Heat (HTH) efficiencies, by virtue of having the two highest proportions of Chinese industrial energy use [58]. Process (GJ/tes) efficiency data for steel [54][55][56][57]64,65] and ammonia (taken as 75% of UK values, based on average values from Phylipsen et al [65]) and the IEA [66] are combined with temperature data to calculate time-series exergy efficiencies. For electricity application efficiencies, values of 80% of those from the US-UK analysis were typically used, based on evidence that China's average devices were 10-20 years behind US-UK values across industry, commerce and residential sectors [3,67].…”