SUSTAIN Manufacturing Hub

SUSTAIN是由斯旺西大学国家钢铁创新中心领导的一个雄心勃勃的合作研究项目，旨在改变英国钢铁供应链的生产力，产品多样性和环境绩效。SUSTAIN制造中心将与沃里克制造集团和谢菲尔德大学合作，领导碳中性钢铁和炼铁以及智能钢铁加工的重大挑战研究项目。碳中和炼钢将探索我们如何将该行业从使用煤炭作为主要能源转变为废物材料，可再生能源和氢气的混合物。智能钢铁加工将研究如何利用数字技术和传感器来提高生产率，并探索钢铁加工方式的转变如何增加价值并创造新市场，特别是建筑市场，同时扩大先进钢铁产品在车辆运输电气化中提供的机会。英国钢铁企业覆盖不同的市场领域，都参与了这个项目，承诺提供超过1300万英镑的支持资金。塔塔钢铁公司主要从事汽车用带钢产品（包括发电机和电动机结构用电工钢）和包装应用。英国钢铁公司为铁路运输和建筑等关键部门生产长材。Liberty Specialty为航空航天和核电等行业生产独特的钢材，谢菲尔德锻造公司为发电，国防和民用核工业生产产品，Celsa主要为建筑生产型钢和钢筋。这是先进材料的一个关键要素，支撑着英国制造业的大部分。因此，英国制造的钢铁产品的多样性和碳强度的降低以及生产力和效率的提高将使整个英国制造业受益，并为制造业进入传统领域创造机会，例如通过推动非现场制造建筑替代传统的低技能劳动密集型路线。钢铁是世界上使用最多、可回收利用最多的先进材料，该项目旨在改变钢铁的制造方式。这包括利用和再利用废物的方法，以及利用机会将任何废物转化为另一个行业的增值要素。举例来说，一家钢铁厂产生的废热足以为大约30万户家庭供电。新材料可以捕获这种热量，使其能够被运送到家庭和办公室，并在需要时使用，而不需要管道。这使得制造基地成为社区的一个嵌入式组成部分，显然是一个适用于其他行业任何其他高能耗制造业务的模式。我们将在每个阶段探索如何将我们在钢铁转化方面的发现映射到其他关键基础材料领域，如玻璃，石化和水泥。研究成果的实施将通过SUSTAIN的创新辐条网络促进，确保高质量的研究转化为高利润和竞争力的过程。

SUSTAIN is an ambitious collaborative research project led by the National Steel Innovation Centre at Swansea University to transform the productivity, product diversity and environmental performance of the steel supply chain in the UK. Working with Warwick Manufacturing Group and the University of Sheffield, the SUSTAIN Manufacturing Hub will lead grand challenge research projects of carbon neutral steel and ironmaking and smart steel processing. Carbon neutral steel making will explore how we can transition the industry from using coal as its primary energy source to a mix of waste materials, renewable energy and hydrogen. Smart steel processing will examine how digital technology and sensors can be used to increase productivity and also explore how a transformation in the way in which steel is processed can add significant value and create new markets, in particular construction, whilst expanding the opportunities afforded by advanced steel products in the electrification of vehicular transport. The UK steel businesses cover different market sectors and are all engaged in this project committing >£13M in supporting funds. Tata Steel lead work on strip steel products used in automotive (inc electrical steels for generators and motors construction) and packaging applications. British Steel produce long products for key sectors such as rail transport and construction. Liberty Specialty produce unique steels for sectors such as aerospace and nuclear power, Sheffield Forgemasters manufacture products for power generation, defence and civil nuclear industries, and Celsa make section steels and reinforcement primarily for construction. This represents a key element of advanced materials that underpin a large proportion of the UK manufacturing sector. The increasing diversity and lower carbon intensity of UK made steel products together with greater productivity and efficiency will thus benefit the whole of UK manufacturing and create opportunities for manufacturing to make inroads into traditional areas for example by driving offsite manufactured construction alternatives to traditional low skill labour intensive routes. Steel is the world's most used and recyclable advanced material and this project aims to transform the way it is made. This includes approaches both to use and re-use it and harness opportunities to turn any waste product into a value added element for another industry. To illustrate, a steel plant produces enough waste heat to power around 300,000 homes. New materials can trap this heat allowing it to be transported to homes and offices and be used when required without the need for pipes. This then makes the manufacturing site an embedded component of the community and is clearly a model applicable to any other high energy manufacturing operation in other sectors. We will at each stage explore how our discoveries in transforming steel can be mapped onto other key foundation materials sectors such as glass, petrochemicals and cement. Implementation of the research findings will be facilitated via SUSTAIN's network of innovation spokes ensuring that high quality research translates to highly profitable and competitive processes.