Throughout the world, industrial facilities are under increasingly stringent emissions regulations and facilities in Canada are no exception. Developing a cost-effective strategy to meet these requirements is key to continued economic viability in an increasingly competitive landscape while also maintaining a social license to operate. To meet these needs, Exergy is supporting the development of a deep emissions reduction strategy for a major Canadian steelmaker; examining energy optimization, evaluating integration of process improvements, and developing pathways to cost-effective carbon capture deployment.

For an integrated steel mill, maximizing process gas utilization is key to minimizing net energy requirements and their associated emissions, but due to this integration, process improvements in one unit can have knock-on effects downstream that can be detrimental if not properly identified.

To start this project, Exergy worked with the mill’s experts to develop a custom excel based simulation tool to predict how unit process changes affected gas compositions and energy contents and impacted the facility wide mass and energy balance, accounting for extensive recycles. The model was also used to predict the impact of adding new process units (novel technologies) to the facility and how well they would integrate. This allowed the mill to clearly quantify the true impact of a modification and evaluate it appropriately.

Once the scenarios had been technically quantified, our team developed detailed technoeconomic assessments to high-grade optimizations, allowing the mill to focus on the combination of initiatives that provided the highest rate of return. Analysis included regulatory emissions allowances, deadline based governmental incentives such as the ITC (Investment Tax Credit), and probabilistic assessments of future regulatory conditions (Monte Carlo Simulation).

Altogether this led to a fit-for-facility plan, accounting for their unique regulatory requirements, to reduce projected upfront capital costs, minimize the risk associated with new technology deployment, mitigate the impact of future regulatory uncertainty, and improve the facility’s overall competitiveness.

At Exergy, we don’t just consult – we catalyze transformative change. Think we can help address the unique competitive challenges of your facility? Reach out to learn more about what we can achieve. Solving the hardest problems isn’t just a task for us, it’s our passion.