Analyzing Water Usage in Steel Manufacturing: Avesta Outokumpu: Case Study

Sammanfattning

The steel industry is reliant on water and facilities are typically situated near water sources to ensure access to this vital resource. Water primarily functions as a coolant in processes such as hot- rolling mills, and is also used for indirect cooling in machinery and as rinsing and flushing agent during pickling. This versatile usage makes water a fundamental ecosystem service for the steel industry, highlighting the importance of sustainable water management. The EUs Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) forms the basis of this study, where the ESRS E3 standard adresses water resources and marine resources, and requires companies to provide information on their water usage and any measures taken to reduce water consumption. The aim of the study has thus been to map water flows at Outokumpus facility in Avesta, with a specific focus on the hot rolling mill abd its cooling systems. To achieve this aim, a combination of temporary data from Outokumpus intranet and on-site observations was applied. Access to drawings of water flows was obtained, which were analyzed and simplified to identify the location of existing flow meters and develop proposals fo additional placements. One of the most significant results consists of insight obtained during field studies, which have deepend the understanding of the facilitys operational mechanisms. Furthermore, the results include an analysis of an industry map that has been simplified and categorized into different cooling systems. The main conclusion include the need to update the maps to include flow meters that are currently unmarked, as well as proposals for a systematic approach to managing and storing data. Several diagrams have also been created to exemplify potential communication methods for the data. The observations also highlight the need to modernize older components such as cooling towers. This study represents only the beginning of an extensive process to improve water management at Outokumpu in Avesta