Thermo-ecological cost (TEC) evaluation of metallurgical processes

Abstract

Metallurgy represents a complex production system of fuel and mineral non-renewable resources transformation. The effectiveness of resource management in metallurgical chains depends on the applied ore grade and on the irreversibility of components of the system. TEC can be applied to measure the influence of metallurgy on the depletion of natural resources. The paper discusses the possibility of application of TEC in metallurgy and presents illustrative example concerning blast-furnace process.

Keywords

• metallurgy
• blast-furnace
• thermo-ecology
• exergy
• non-renewable resources