A novel approach for utilizing waste heat resources in the steel industry

The efficient utilization of waste heat resources plays a pivotal role in enhancing energy efficiency and curbing carbon emissions. To address this, effective planning for waste heat recovery (WHR) utilization becomes imperative, guiding consumers in device installation and capacity allocation. This paper introduces a novel approach to WHR utilization planning, tailored specifically for steel factories, with the goal of achieving optimal WHR solutions. The approach automates device selection, capacity allocation, and operational strategies while considering their impact on the regular manufacturing processes of the factories to maximize overall benefits. Unlike existing methods, this approach introduces discrete capacity selection modeling, considering the constraints of the limited product range during device selection. A numerical study illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed model in delivering optimal WHR device selection, capacity allocation, and operational strategies under various economic conditions. These enhancements contribute to the increased practicality and realism of the proposed method in comparison to existing approaches.