Recently, the evaluation results were announced for the 2022 "National Key Large-scale Energy-consuming Steel Production Equipment Energy-saving and Consumption Reduction Benchmarking Competition", which was jointly organized by the National Committee of China Machinery, Metallurgy and Building Materials Labor Union and China Iron and Steel Association. Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd.’s 2,650 m3 Blast Furnace No. 2 and Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.’s 500 m2 Sinter Machine No. 1 and 300-ton Converter No. 5 won the title of "Champion Furnace", while Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd.’s 360 m2 Sinter Machine No. 8 and Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.’s 210-ton Converter No. 5 and 5,500 m3 Blast Furnace No. 1 won the title of "Superior Furnace".

Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd.’s 2,650 m3 Blast Furnace No. 2 was ignited on January 4th, 2007. With 30 tuyeres and an annual designed molten iron output of 2.2 million tons, it adopts domestic and international advanced technologies including a soft water closed circulation system, industrial purified water circulation system, all-stator adjustable axial fan, full-dry bag gas dust removal system, TRT differential pressure power generation system, pulverized coal tank injection system, hot blast stove preheating air combustion system, etc. Over the years, the Shougang Group has continued to work hard to improve its green manufacturing capability and made great efforts to build a model blast furnace that is "energy-saving, environmentally friendly, clean and efficient". On the basis of giving full play to the functions of existing energy-saving and environmental protection facilities, the Shougang Group has strengthened its application of new energy-saving and environmental protection technologies, made every effort to improve its energy-saving and environmental protection capability, and continually optimized systems to reach the standards, making unremitting efforts to build green, efficient and low-consumption blast furnaces. 

Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.’s Sinter Machine No. 1 adopts a number of technologies such as deep bed sintering, comprehensive "natural gas injection + internal and external circulation of flue gas + humidification injection" system, waste heat power generation, etc., which makes its energy consumption and emission indicators reach the advanced level in the industry. In 2022, the solid fuel consumption of Sinter Machine No. 1 decreased to 43.70 kg/ton, its energy consumption decreased to 36.63 kg of standard coal/ton, its emissions of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide were reduced by more than 30%, and its utilization coefficient reached 1.36 tons/m2 per hour.

The energy consumption of Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.’s Converter No. 5 decreased by 1.22 kg of standard coal/ton, breaking the historical record and reaching the industry benchmark level. The concept of system management was introduced and a 3DT water quality management system and special converter process energy consumption monitoring mechanism were established to explore the feasibility of an intelligent steam control platform in steel mills. Innovations in energy-saving technology and research on mixed blowing carbon dioxide technology enabled the modification of the EC nitrogen spray gun, optimization of the chute sealing structure and upgrading of the aerogel thermal insulation materials. An energy management pattern featuring multi-integration and full participation has been constructed, and awareness of energy conservation and consumption reduction raised among staff members through measures such as the activity of "doing small things to reduce energy consumption" and QTI improvement platform.

On the basis of drawing upon the advantages of its traditional sintering production lines, Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd.’s 360 m2 Sinter Machine No. 8 makes bold innovative breakthroughs and takes multiple measures to highlight energy conservation and consumption reduction and improve production and operation efficiency. It pioneered the raw material preparation of "two matching and three mixing" based on a vertical intensive mixer, achieving the rapid adjustment of parameters and effectively improving the preparation efficiency and quality stability of raw materials for sintering. Its blending rate index is leading internationally, creating optimal conditions for achieving production and improving efficiency. Seventeen new processes and technologies have been implemented, including one international pioneering technology, one domestic pioneering technology, one international leading technology and three domestic leading technologies. In 2022, production and operation continued to be stable, achieving a reduction in pollutant emissions and an improvement in sinter ore quality.

Beijing Shougang Co., Ltd.’s 210-ton Converter No. 5 continues to promote research on energy saving and consumption reduction, and carries out optimization and improvement measures in gas recovery, steam consumption, argon consumption, scrap consumption per ton of steel and steel slag separation and re-consumption. It pursues environmental protection by actively improving the dust removal system and intelligent monitoring system, and consolidating its ultra-low emission results. In 2022, its comprehensive energy consumption index per ton of steel was greatly improved compared with that in 2020.

Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. insists on taking high-efficiency and low-cost operation as the core of ironmaking production, aims at output objectives and tasks, pursues perfection on the basis of high-efficiency and smooth stability, and continuously explores the smelting systems and technical routes that are most suitable for blast furnaces. Relying on expert workstations and innovation studios, Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. will continue to promote technical research on the consumption reduction and longevity of blast furnaces, strengthen the quality control of raw fuel, strictly grasp the standardization of field operations and consolidate the foundations for the stable operation of equipment. In 2022, the average utilization coefficient of Blast Furnace No. 1 exceeded 2.5 tons/m3 per day, ranking first among comparable blast furnaces in China.