At the 2024 China Iron and Steel Industry Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Conference, the results of the 2023 National Benchmarking Competition for Energy Efficiency and Consumption Reduction in Key Large-Scale Steel Production Equipment were announced. Shougang Group achieved remarkable success, with the 360-m2 Sinter Plant #8 of Beijing Shougang and the 500-m2 Sinter Plant #2 of Shougang Jingtang winning the “Champion Furnace” awards, the 4,000-m3 Blast Furnace #3 of Beijing Shougang and the 5,500-m3 Blast Furnace #3 of Shougang Jingtang winning the “Excellent Furnace” awards, and the 2,650-m3 Blast Furnace #2 and the 210-tonne Converter #4 of Beijing Shougang winning the “Pioneer Furnace” awards.

The 360-m2 Sinter Plant #8 of Beijing Shougang was built by actively adopting cutting-edge processes and technologies, emphasizing energy conservation, and following the principles of being advanced, rational, cost-effective, practical, and beneficial. The equipment features 17 new processes and technologies, including three domestically leading technologies and one internationally leading technology, with one domestic first-ever technology, and one international first-ever technology. In 2023, the plant’s sintering utilization coefficient was increased by 0.17 t/m2·h, and its process energy consumption was reduced by 0.15 kgce/t through continuous enhancement and optimization of these new processes.

The 500-m2 Sinter Plant #2 of Shougang Jingtang has consistently focused on integrating technological and management innovation. By thinking out of the box, the company adopts an approach that shifts from the optimization of individual units to systemic energy efficiency improvements. This involves the comprehensive application of various energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, including internal and external flue gas recirculation, natural gas injection coordinated with waste flue gas, steam humidification of material surface, thick-layer sintering, high-ratio solid waste addition, and liquid sealing of the ring cooler. By leveraging its advantages of integrating technologies and aligning with local environmental protection regulations and the actual production conditions, the company has continuously optimized its system energy control and production organization, thus minimizing solid fuel consumption and maximizing power generation with waste heat. In 2023, on the basis of maintaining stable production line operation and quality control, the solid fuel consumption of Sinter Plant #2 decreased by 0.98 kg/t, its waste heat recovery increased by 17.5%, and its process energy consumption decreased by 3.01 kgce/t, exceeding the industry benchmark by 18%. It was honored with the title of Top Runner of Energy Efficiency by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2023 for its high-efficiency and green operation.

By following a strategy of “consolidating the fundamental capability and striving for steady progress,” Beijing Shougang has maintained a stable air pressure and volume relationship and smooth and stable operation of its 4,000-m3 Blast Furnace #3 through a sophisticated raw material monitoring system, proactive and prudent adjustment principles, and meticulous process control. Throughout the year, the blast furnace’s key indicators, such as utilization coefficient, coke ratio, coal ratio, and fuel ratio, were improved significantly. High-efficiency solid waste processing technology has been implemented for the Blast Furnace #3, achieving the goal of resource recycling of solid waste and making a significant contribution to establishing a positive corporate image of clean, efficient, and low-consumption production.

Shougang Jingtang’s 5,500-m3 Blast Furnace #3 embodies a commitment to green, low-carbon, and circular economy principles. It integrates several energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, including large pellet ratio smelting, fully dry dust removal, and automated hot blast stove combustion. It pioneered a new combined oxygen supply model, integrating low-cost oxygen enrichment with high-pressure waste oxygen utilization before and after the furnace. It was the first successful application of large pellet ratios in China. Shougang Jingtang has formulated industry-leading operational procedures and raw material quality control standards for high pellet ratio smelting. Compared to traditional processes, the new process reduces carbon emissions by approximately 10% per tonne of molten iron, setting a new benchmark for carbon reduction and emission reduction in BF-BOF steel mills. In 2023, while maintaining stable operation, the Blast Furnace #3 achieved a 0.02 t/m3·d increase in utilization coefficient and a 9 kg/t reduction in fuel ratio, reaching the industry’s best level of energy efficiency.

Beijing Shougang has implemented several engineering and technological upgrades of its 2,650-m3 Blast Furnace #2 since since the beginning of 2023, focusing on environmental protection, energy consumption reduction, and lean operation, with several engineering and technological upgrades implemented. These included furnace hearth casting optimization and upgrades, high-efficiency combustion modifications to the Blast Furnace #2, the addition of the top-fired Blast Furnace #4, real-time thermal imaging of the hot blast stove and air supply system, remote control for the furnace front tapping equipment, and flue gas desulfurization and denitration. These innovations helped Beijing Shougang’s designation as a national class-A steel enterprise for four consecutive years. In 2023, satisfactory results were obtained by optimizing basic operating procedures, enhancing the furnace’s external resistance to fluctuations in external conditions, strengthening process control, and continuously advancing production with a focus on energy saving and consumption reduction.

Beijing Shougang’s 210-tonne Converter #4 has continuously advanced efforts for energy efficiency and consumption reduction. These efforts involved the application of new technologies, including the addition of steel ladle covers, in-line oxygen-enriched baking, and flue gas model smelting, alongside technological upgrades, such as the parallel use of converter gas holders and the addition of two heat accumulators. Further optimizations included refined steelmaking processes, reduced double-slagging smelting ratios, optimized gas recovery conditions, the addition of a steelmaking PES system converter gas recovery interface platform to the secondary energy system, enhanced steam recovery management, and the adoption of oxygen-enriched baking in in-line baking units to reduce tapping temperatures. These innovative and effective measures resulted in a substantial improvement in the converter’s energy consumption per tonne of steel in 2023 compared with that in 2022.