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In the context of carbon neutrality, energy conservation and carbon reduction in the heating industry have become the focus of attention. However, severe heat loss is currently occurring in the secondary heating system due to hydraulic imbalance, which is unable to supply heat according to users' needs. In view of this, a thermodynamic-hydraulic model of users' demand for heat and flow rate for the heating system is established. Then, a novel method to regulate hydraulic imbalance is proposed, with the dynamic heat demand satisfied by regulating the valve opening based on NSGA-II. The optimization results show that the comprehensive hydraulic imbalance coefficient has been reduced from 23.08 to less than 0.019, which means that almost 100% of users can get heat supplies corresponding to their needs, while the energy consumption is reduced by about 30%. Additionally, when there are 1000 population and iteration steps, good convergence and high speed are presented using this method. In summary, an on-demand optimized model of hydraulic balance for the secondary heating network is put forward, which provides powerful engineering support and guidance for intelligent heating construction. • This paper presents a method to regulate the hydraulic balance of network using NSGA-II according to the heat demand. • This paper combines the demand flow regulation of users with the resistance analysis of the heating network. • The hydraulic balance can be implemented greatly by using the hydraulic imbalance coefficient as the optimization goal. • The number of iteration steps in the algorithm has an effect on the optimization results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towards the target of carbon neutrality, the need for deep decarbonization in iron and steel industry is increasingly recognized. Existing studies rarely mention the effects of collaboration with its source industries for carbon emission reduction in ISI. Furthermore, the fundamental laws of CO 2 emission reduction capacity with cost change of source substitutions for various steel production routes under market economics are unclear. To avoid the blind substitution of clean sources for meeting the urgent requirements for decarbonization in China's steel industry, which may result in increased carbon emissions and uneconomical carbon reduction from a lifecycle perspective. This paper integrates the production and utilization processes of source resources into the steel production process, establishes coupling models of carbon and value flows for four main types of steel production routes, and aims to quantitatively analyze the specific CO 2 emission reduction potential and costs. Three economic market development scenarios from 2021 to 2060 are set, and the marginal carbon prices of various source substitutions are determined. Subsequently, decarbonization pathways with the goal of minimizing production costs are developed. Finally. The future resource demand and the carbon emission reduction contributions of source industries collaborated are predicted. The results show that (1) about 81.7–89.9 % of CO 2 emissions could be reduced in the scenarios; (2) the demands of electric power and hydrogen energy will reach 54.48–511.90 BkWh and 7.47–10.31 Gt in 2060, respectively; and (3) collaboration with source industries could make 18.3–18.3% of CO 2 emission reduction contributions. All in all, this study could provide scientific support for the low-carbon transformation of China's steel industry. • Carbon and value flows of BF-BOF, Scrap-EAF, DRI-EAF, MOE-EAF routes are analyzed. • CO 2 emission reduction potential with marginal carbon price is determined. • Decarbonization paths during 2021–2060 for China's steel industry are developed. • Quantify the contribution of collaborative carbon reduction with source industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Exergy loss of enterprise is optimized by building mathematical programming model. • Influences of 9 key factors on system's total exergy loss and cost are discussed. • Recovery and utilization of waste heat are optimized by detailed technical models. • Waste heat potential and heating capacity of enterprise are evaluated. • Interface loss between upstream & downstream processes is quantified by exergy. A substantial quantity of waste heat resources generated in iron and steel manufacturing process (ISMP) can fulfill certain demand for urban heating. However, the waste heat utilization level of different iron and steel enterprises varies a lot and few studies have combined the upstream enterprise's production with downstream waste heat utilization for discussion. By establishing an optimization model based on material balance, thermodynamic laws and reaction mechanism of the ISMP, this study firstly obtain the minimum exergy loss and the corresponding production cost ＆ exergy efficiency. The total exergy loss of ISMP is reduced from 8413.19 MJ/t-MS to 7669.27 MJ/t-MS. The exergy efficiency of the whole process is increased from 63.75 % to 65.46 % and the total waste heat potential reaches 1471.25 MJ/t-MS. It is found that coke ratio, air leakage rate, scrap steel ratio, etc. have great impact on exergy loss of ISMP. Then, the optimization and evaluation of the waste heat utilization are carried out by establishing models with taking urban heating into consideration. The available external heat supply is 813.15 to 853.55 MJ/t-MS and the enterprise's heating load can reach 229.23–251.47 MW, which allow to supply heat for an area of 5.46–5.93 million m2. Finally, the problem of waste heat instability in the heating process is briefly discussed and some solution strategies are proposed to overcome this defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional iron and steel industry (ISI) began to implement technological innovations aimed at lowering carbon footprint and emissions, resulting in hydrogen metallurgy gradually becoming a new trend of green development in ISI. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and in-depth analysis of energy-exergy based on the second law of thermodynamics in the current research of hydrogen metallurgy. To address these issues, a numerical calculation model of hydrogen metallurgy based on material-energy-exergy is established. Two novel evaluation indexes are introduced to better evaluate the impact of various parameters on hydrogen metallurgy. It was found that the exergy intensity is mainly affected by the amount of reducing gas, and increasing the preheating temperature of the ore cannot always reduce the exergy intensity due to the influence of element conservation. And when the ore preheating temperature is higher than 623 K, the exergy utilization efficiency decreases. After calculation, the lowest exergy intensity is 1.23 × 107 kJ/t-DRI when the H 2 content is 41.37% and the ore temperature is 773 K. Furthermore, a simple process is designed to recover a substantial volume of unreacted gas from the furnace top gas. Overall, this study can serve as a reference for actual hydrogen metallurgy production. [Display omitted] • A material-energy-exergy model based on the second law of thermodynamics is created. • In addition to the traditional evaluation indexes, two novel ones are also introduced. • Preheating ore temperature above 623 K reduces the exergy utilization efficiency. • Rising ore preheating temperature does not decrease exergy intensity continuously. • A simple waste energy recovery process is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrated optimization and analysis of material and energy flows are effective ways to reduce energy consumption and costs in the iron and steel sector. There is still a lack of research on the multi-objective optimization of the integrated steel production process and the auxiliary energy process. To fill this gap, this paper presented a single- and multi-objective optimization model for material and energy scheduling and utilization of the steelworks. This model considered physical and chemical conversion mechanisms in the production process, as well as operating characteristics and production-consumption relations of equipment in the gas-steam-electricity network. The objective function was constructed using comprehensive energy consumption (CEC) and economic cost (EC), and fuzzy sets were used to find a compromise solution and the trade-off operation strategies between the two goals. The CEC and EC effectively dropped by 5.09% and 7.29%, respectively, in comparison to the actual enterprise value, through the optimization of the material ratio, product structure, energy utilization, and other parameters of the steelworks. Additionally, a quantitative analysis of the effects of variables such as the ratio of pellets, the ratio of scrap, the hot charging temperature of the slab, and the utilization of surplus gases was conducted. • A single- and multi-objective optimization model for material and energy scheduling and utilization is proposed. • The compromise solution of energy consumption and economic multi-objective optimization is found. • Influence of material and energy flows on variation in multi-objective is discussed. • Highly efficient and cost-effective modes of using surplus gases are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the objective of carbon neutrality stated by the global climate conference, the iron and steel industry, a major carbon emitter, must transition to green and low-carbon development as quickly as feasible. Hydrogen metallurgy direct reduction technology has attracted much attention because of its low emission. However, the current study on hydrogen metallurgy shaft furnace lacks a comprehensive in-depth analysis of gas consumption, gas utilization, and exergy intensity. To tackle these problems, a material and energy optimization model including intermolecular chemical reaction is established. The original process is optimized by this model, the gas utilization is enhanced by 26.7%, gas consumption is decreased by 906.34 m3/t-DRI, and exergy intensity is reduced by 8.8 GJ/t-DRI. Furthermore, the impacts of gas composition, gas temperature, and ore temperature on gas consumption, gas utilization, exergy structure, and exergy intensity, as well as their interactions, are investigated thoroughly. The analysis highlighted that properly reducing hydrogen content and increasing gas and ore temperature can improve gas utilization and reduce gas consumption. Simultaneously, lowering gas consumption can effectively lower exergy intensity. And furnace top gas exergy is closely related to gas utilization. On the whole, it is advantageous to promote the development of hydrogen metallurgy by conducting in-depth and systematic analyses. [Display omitted] • An NLP model including intermolecular chemical reactions is established. • The accuracy of the model is verified by actual production data. • The material and energy assessments are presented considering the exergy of energy. • Relationships of gas utilization, exergy intensity are thoroughly considered. • Suggestions are proposed to improve the energy utilization in actual production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel assessment method is proposed to increase benefits of manufacturing systems. • Networks of material, energy, environment and economic are thoroughly considered. • The comprehensive value flow is presented considering the exergy of energy. • Feasible suggestions are therefore proposed to improve the performance in energy and economic. • It is confirmed efficient in following case study with dramatic improved comprehensive benefits. The comprehensive assessment of the performance of production system is a crucial activity for the implementation of sustainable production practices for the manufacturing industry. The existing relevant assessment methods are not comprehensive enough, especially in terms of material, energy, environment and economics. They lack specific economic performance indicators based on industrial systematic analysis, and couldn't give a clear explanation for the comprehensive value flow in the production process. This paper proposes a novel assessment method, called Comprehensive Value Flow Analysis, which aims to describe and classify activities in the network of material, energy, environment and economics according to systematic energy saving and lean production theory. The drawing method of comprehensive value flow and a new cost-benefit indicator named advanced cost-profit ratio are proposed for identifying quantitatively the criticalities related to activities, processes, systems, technologies, etc. And significant suggestions for the improvement strategies implementation are given. A case study of a typical iron and steel enterprise has been evaluated using this method. Moreover, it successfully identifies the issues about energy structure, production structure and technologies application with a global perspective by explicating the comprehensive value flow and analyzing the relevant indicators, and then offering some valuable suggestions for sustainable development. The analysis highlighted that every enterprise has its own marginal benefits according to the production status and market economy. In summary, it is favorable to make real and effective decisions on improvement for the comprehensive benefits of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]