Bethlehem Steel Improves System Performance and Reduces Energy Costs

To remain competitive in the global marketplace, Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC) was looking for opportunities to reduce energy costs while improving overall steel-making system performance at its Burns Harbor facility in northwest Indiana. By installing a variable frequency drive (VFD), and making equipment modifications to the induced draft fans that remove gases from one of the facility’s three basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs), the company reduced energy consumption by 50% and saved more than $620,000 annually. With a total cost of about $1,225,000, the simple payback for this Showcase Demonstration project was about two years. BSC is the second-largest steel producer in the United States. Its Burns Harbor facility, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, is BSC’s largest and most efficient plant. Employing about 6,000 workers, Burns (continued on page 7) On April 30, about 300 people from industry, government, universities, and national laboratories attended a successful Energy Technology Showcase at Bethlehem Steel’s Burns Harbor plant in northwest Indiana. At this event, Burns Harbor showcased an array of advanced technologies that have been developed in partnership with the steel industry and DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT). These technologies, which will help Burns Harbor improve efficiency and productivity, included: