Reactive Power Compensation Solutions in the Metallurgical Industry Installations

Abstract

The metallurgical industry is one of the main branches of the global and Romanian industry. In 2023, global crude steel production was approximately 1.8 billion tons, according to the World Steel Association. It contributes approximately 5-6% to global GDP, having a significant impact on the economies of industrialized countries. It is a large consumer of electricity, being responsible for approximately 10% of global CO₂ emissions. Therefore, reducing and streamlining energy consumption is a particularly important challenge and target. Data analysis from the Târgoviste Special Steel Plant revealed poor energy efficiency and high reactive power consumption. In this sense, adequate solutions that compensate the excessive reactive power and consequently improve the power factor are to be implemented. To address this issue, this paper proposes a simple solution by implementing an automated system of controlled capacitor banks.