Energy recovery by evaporative cooling in several plants of the iron and steel industry

Before the second world war, and in a more remarkable way immediately after it, added momentum was given to the utilization of waste energy in German and Austrian steelworks by the ever-present shortage of inland fuels, and by the abnormal increase in fuel prices. When in 1957-58 this shortage of fuel, the chief obstacle to the expansion of steel production, had been overcome, a new factor was having an indirect bearing on energy economy of both countries, namely, the much stricter government regulations with water and air pollution. Among other systems, this fact gave birth to a particular system of energy recovery, which was named "HeiBkuhlung". In this system, the open-cycle water, as a means for cooling metal parts at high temperatures of furnaces of several kinds, is substituted by closed cycle pressurized water, generally with steam production. Several cases of these energy recovery plants are considered with their pros and cons.