Follower: Basauri Industrial area
Basauri industrial area is located in the North of Spain, in a region where the steel sector has a predominant role in the industrial landscape. Sidenor is one of the most important companies in Basuri industrial area, and therefore has the potential for starting an effective IS activity in the area.
In particular, Sidenor has identified a concept where thermal energy generated during steel production is recovered and stored in a breakthrough Thermal Battery solution. The system will enable the utilization of the recovered heat in the form of generating steam upon demand both to Sidenor and neighbouring industries.
The target of the feasibility study to be executed within CORALIS is to quantify the amount of thermal energy available, to obtain an initial size of the waste heat recovery unit capable to collect all that heat, to calculate a meaningful size of the thermal battery, and to identify and quantify the steam consumers, sizing also the steam generator required to serve this consumption.
Description of the demonstration readiness level towards Industrial Symbiosis (IS)
The industrial area lacks a competent figure (e.g. industrial area manager) to coordinate the contact among the industrial stakeholders and the public authorities.
In addition, even though other industries are aware of the objectives of the project, it is not possible to advance on contractual issues until a more detailed assessment of the economic feasibility of the system is performed.
The demonstration in Basauri will assess the feasibility of a thermal energy storage system for waste heat recovery from an EAF to supply steam to other companies in the area.
In a preliminary assessment, it has been estimated that the thermal energy storage system will be able to save to 36000 MWh/yr of natural gas in Sidenor process (reducing in more than 10% the current natural gas consumption) and avoided 8000 tons of CO2 per year.
Nevertheless, this figure could be potentially increased if there is enough steam demand in neighbouring industries to increase the amount of energy recovered, further improving the environmental performance of the process.
Targets of the follower and main challenges to be overcome
The main objective is to carry out a detailed assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of the waste heat recovery system applied to the Basauri industrial area in order to promote successful business models for the steam supply among the surrounding industries and provide the guidelines for the most effective management structure in the industrial area.
In order to achieve this objective, Basauri industrial area will need to advance in the MRL and ERL, being the main barrier the lack of an Industrial area manager as it hampers the fluid communication among the required stakeholders, but also to overcome technical challenges related to waste heat recovery of EAF exhaust gases due to gas composition and solid particles