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A process-level hierarchical structural decomposition analysis (SDA) of energy consumption in an integrated steel plant

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Abstract

A hierarchical structural decomposition analysis (SDA) model has been developed based on process-level input-output (I-O) tables to analyze the drivers of energy consumption changes in an integrated steel plant during 2011-2013. By combining the principle of hierarchical decomposition into D&L method, a hierarchical decomposition model for multilevel SDA is obtained. The developed hierarchical IO-SDA model would provide consistent results and need less computation effort compared with the traditional SDA model. The decomposition results of the steel plant suggest that the technology improvement and reduced steel final demand are two major reasons for declined total energy consumption. The technical improvements of blast furnaces, basic oxygen furnaces, the power plant and the by-products utilization level have contributed mostly in reducing energy consumption. A major retrofit of ancillary process units and solving fuel substitution problem in the sinter plant and blast furnace are important for further energy saving. Besides the empirical results, this work also discussed that why and how hierarchical SDA can be applied in a process-level decomposition analysis of aggregated indicators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Xiao-jun Liu  (刘骁浚), Sheng-ming Liao  (廖胜明), Zheng-hua Rao  (饶政华) & Gang Liu  (刘刚)

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  1. Xiao-jun Liu  (刘骁浚)
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  2. Sheng-ming Liao  (廖胜明)
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  3. Zheng-hua Rao  (饶政华)
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  4. Gang Liu  (刘刚)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheng-ming Liao  (廖胜明).

Additional information

Foundation item: Project(2012GK2025) supported by Science-Technology Plan Foundation of Hunan Province, China; Project(2013zzts039) supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for Central South University, China

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Liu, Xj., Liao, Sm., Rao, Zh. et al. A process-level hierarchical structural decomposition analysis (SDA) of energy consumption in an integrated steel plant. J. Cent. South Univ. 24, 402–412 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3442-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3442-8

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