Integrated Iron and Steel Works as Users, Producers and Converters of Energy

Historically the making of iron and steel in any quantity was confined to places where fuel—originally wood carbon, but since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, coal—was cheap and local ore available, but even so the industry is such a large user of fuel that the need to conserve it has meant that the total energy concept has been understood in the integrated iron and steel works for at least 50 years. However, it was not until roughly 15 years ago that big improvements in ironmaking and major changes in steelmaking completely altered the fuel and energy balance of a modern works. These changes have been fostered by a rise in the price of coal compared with other fuels and compared with costs generally; also by the development of ‘tonnage’ oxygen plants and by the availability of bulk carriers for oil and ore. The effects on the fuel and energy balances are considered. Although in such a heavily capitalized industry widespread adoption of new processes is inevitably slow, still further changes can be foreseen and some of these may greatly affect the energy requirements of the steel works of the future. Natural gas may compete, not only with oil as a fuel, but also with coke as a reducing agent in making iron. Ore already reduced to iron may be shipped to the United Kingdom at a price that will make the integrated iron and steel works a thing of the past.