Establishing mid- to low-temperature power generation using waste heat and smart energy management system at Hwajin Steel
Discovering convergence businesses such as IT+OT and promoting expansion to other business sites to achieve carbon neutrality
POSCO DX (CEO Duk-kyoon Jung) will build a system to achieve carbon neutrality at manufacturing sites by preemptively applying mid- to low-temperature power generation and energy efficiency technologies to Hwajin Steel (CEO Byung-soo Kim).
POSCO DX, along with Hwajin Steel, which produces reinforcing bars (deformed bars), was selected as a pioneering plant construction business geared to carbon neutrality and is pursuing business operations on a full scale. With funding support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the carbon neutral pioneer plant construction business aims to pioneer the rollout of eco-friendly systems and high energy efficiency facilities to reduce carbon emissions at the site.
POSCO DX plans to build a mid- to low-temperature power generation (organic rankine cycle) system that produces electricity using waste heat generated from Hwajin Steel heating furnaces. Once the power generation system is built by August 2025, this will enable 750 kW of power per hour to be produced, corresponding to 30% of Hwajin Steel’s power consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 10%.
Besides this, a high-efficiency inverter is applied to the blower, which was previously operated at a constant rotation speed, to enable speed control, and energy efficiency is also significantly increased by integrated control of the air compressor, which operates non-stop, so that it can be adjusted to demand. In this way, they plan to establish an energy management system that monitors manufacturing site data, such as facility performance, energy usage, and inverter control, to analyze and improve power intensity.
Through this project, Hwajin Steel looks to save KRW 850 million in electric energy per year. With its industry know-how, POSCO DX is undertaking a project to build an integrated control system to save energy at domestic manufacturing sites, and plans to apply it to mid- to low-temperature power generation in the future even.
The head of Pohang Automation Business Office Myoung-nam Kim at POSCO DX explained, “We are actively exploring convergence-type businesses, such as IT+OT, to facilitate the achievement of carbon neutrality in the manufacturing industry,” and added, “We relentlessly work to upgrade the business model geared to manufacturing sites, such as low- and mid-temperature power generation and energy management systems, and kickstart expanded applications.”
Meanwhile, Hwajin Steel has developed its own eco-friendly pyrolysis oil burner that can recycle thermoplastic materials to complete the fuel conversion by applying it to the heating furnace, and pursues low-NOx product certification to expand its business model.
