Reducing steel scrap in fabrication of steel storage tanks

Abstract This paper focuses on reducing steel scrap in the process of fabrication of steel storage tanks. Reducing steel scrap is important for society to decrease the environmental influence, save natural resources and to decrease the greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage associated with steelmaking that is considered as a valuable resource in industry. “4Rs” i.e. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Restoring the materials are being considered as strategies of solid waste management. Production of any product causes waste which has little economy for the main production process, but those waste products also have an economic value, which can be improved by processing. A methodology to reduce steel scrap is proposed and applied on a case study which is; a job order for manufacturing (17) storage tanks of capacity (55) m 3 in the Heavy Engineering Equipment State Company (HEESCO). Scrap evaluation for each area, volume and weight is calculated. The percentage of area, volume and weight of plates used in the current situation are (13.609%), (15.875%) and (15.875%), respectively. After applying the proposed method the percentage of area, volume and weight of plates used are (6.666%), (8.154%) and (8.153%), respectively. The amount of improvement rate in reducing steel scrap generated is (51.017%) of the area (48.636%) and volume (48.642%) of weight. This amount of improvement rate and the evaluation of the steel scrap generated are considered as a valuable resource in steel fabrication industry.