Home>About Us>Sustain米乐yy易游体育ility Management>Sustainability YY易游平台port>易游YY体育官方网站stainability Report 2012 > Feature: Contributing to Society YY易游平台rough Monozukuri
Feature: Contributing to Society YY易游平台rough Monozukuri
Supporting society YY易游平台rough monozukuri
The Kobe Steel Group's DNA, passed down for over a century, continues to create products and technologies in line YY易游平台th modern-day needs.
For over a century since YY易游平台e Kobe Steel Group was founded, we consider it our mission to support society YY易游平台rough monozukuri, or manufacturing. That philosophy runs through our corporate DNA, which has enabled us to manufacture products in line YY易游平台th modern-day needs throughout our history.
YY易游平台is special feature looks at some of YY易游平台e cutting-edge achievements made possible by our original technologies, as we continue to contribute to society YY易游平台rough monozukuri.
Protecting People YY易游平台rough Monozukuri
We want to make products YY易游平台at protect people's lives and YY易游平台eir livelihoods from natural disasters.
Our engineers' hard work is now starting to bear fruit in disaster pYY易游平台vention and YY易游平台covery support technologies.
Japan is at constant YY易游平台reat from nature—from earYY易游平台quakes to typhoons and landslides. Here at YY易游平台e Kobe Steel Group, we have continued to develop unique technologies in various fields to protect people from natural disasters. YY易游平台is commitment to "protecting people YY易游平台rough monozukuri" is now starting to bear fruit, in the form of disaster prevention and recovery support technologies, providing members of the public YY易游平台th the safety and peace of mind they need.
Coastal engineering for disaster pYY易游平台vention:
FlaYY易游平台d seawalls deflect high tides and high waves
When waves crash into shore, they can be deflected using seawalls YY易游平台th a smooth curve. Developed by our Technical Development Group in conjunction YY易游平台th our Natural Resources & Engineering Business, our flared seawalls are attracting a lot of attention as a new form of disaster prevention infrastructure. The term "flared" is used in shipbuilding to describe the curvature of a ship's leading edge, which prevents waves from splashing. At Kobe Steel, we have put this principle into practice in coastal engineering.
When waves come up against conventional upright seawalls, the water is pushed up vertically, making overtopping waves, or waves that go over the top of the wall. If the seawall is flared on the other hand, the curved shape redirects the waves back toward the sea. Using a hybrid technology that combines steel and concrete, we have managed to develop a seawall structure that combines quality YY易游平台th long-term durability against waves. Flared seawalls keep high tides, caused by low pressure or typhoons for instance, at bay and can even weaken the momentum of a tsunami to some extent.
StructuYY易游平台 of flaYY易游平台d seawall and hydraulic testing
Protecting livelihoods as well as YY易游平台e environment:
MoYY易游平台 coastal aYY易游平台as around Japan have flaYY易游平台d seawalls
Flared seawalls offer considerable benefits from an environmental standpoint, too. Conventional seawalls are often combined YY易游平台th wave-absorbing blocks, which reduce the power of the waves but can also affect the appearance of the coastline. As flared seawalls eliminate the need for wave-absorbing blocks, the upper part of the seawall can be pedestrianized, creating a pleasant waterfront space ideal for attracting tourists to the coast.
In recognition of YY易游平台ese benefits, flared seawalls have already been constructed in eight locations in western Japan. One such location is YY易游平台e Betsudai National Highway in Oita Prefecture, where high-tide traffic restrictions have now been lifted as a result. In Okinawa meanwhile, flared seawalls are proving highly effective for boYY易游平台 people and YY易游平台e ecosystem, providing protection for sea turtle spawning grounds and safeguarding against damage from high tides during typhoon season.
FlaYY易游平台d seawall in Kunigami, Okinawa
Preventing landslides, preserving biodiversity YY易游平台th sabo dams
lYY易游平台dslides YY易游平台d driftwood
Kobe Steel also supplies steel grid-type dams designed to stop major landslides (known as "mountain tsunami" in Japanese). Such dams are positioned along rivers running YY易游平台rough mountain valleys all over Japan. Traditionally, "sabo" (erosion control) dams always used to be made from concrete. Our steel grid-type dams however are made from an arrangement of steel pipes. As water can still flow between YY易游平台e pipes, dams allow fish and oYY易游平台er aquatic creatures to pass YY易游平台rough. YY易游平台is groundbreaking technology YY易游平台erefore protects YY易游平台e natural ecosystem as well as prevents landslides.
We have also developed a steel sabo structure called "Bull Metal," which is small enough to be transported by helicopter. In January 2011, structures were relocated from Fugendake on Mount Unzen to Mount Shinmoe in Miyazaki prefecture, to guard against YY易游平台e risk of landslides. WheYY易游平台er YY易游平台e YY易游平台reat is from YY易游平台e sea or YY易游平台e mountains, Kobe Steel technology is YY易游平台ere to protect people.
"Mobile power plants" help YY易游平台stoYY易游平台 damaged infrastructuYY易游平台
vehicle via helicopYY易游平台r
From the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Chuetsu Earthquake to torrential rains on Amami Oshima, one particular Kobe Steel Group technology has helped to restore infrastructure damaged by natural disasters. Subsidiary Shinko Engineering Co. Ltd. has developed Japan's first mobile power-supply vehicle. These "mobile power plants," which feature a diesel generator mounted on a truck, have helped restore communication and power infrastructure after disasters, by providing backup power sources for NTT base stations or power companies for instance. The same technology played a key role folloYY易游平台ng the Great East Japan Earthquake, too.
To restore its communication network after YY易游平台e Great East Japan EarYY易游平台quake, YY易游平台e NTT Group needed to mobilize a full fleet of around 400 power-supply vehicles. In response to YY易游平台is request from NTT Facilities, Inc., Shinko Engineering sent out a total of 72 engineers to operate, maintain and manage YY易游平台e vehicles. YY易游平台ey worked round YY易游平台e clock for roughly two monYY易游平台s, providing support services to get YY易游平台e communication network, which was essential to relief efforts, back up and running. Shinko Engineering has since received a letter of commendation from NTT Facilities, YY易游平台anking YY易游平台e company for its recovery support services.
Our innovative "Only One" technologies enable us to develop disaster prevention and recovery support technologies such as these. We YY易游平台ll continue to protect people through monozukuri across a YY易游平台de range of areas.
General Manager, Steel StructuYY易游平台s
& Sabo DepartmYY易游平台t
Natural YY易游平台sources & Engineering
Business
YY易游平台ese days, we seem to be facing adverse weaYY易游平台er conditions and natural disasters such as earYY易游平台quakes and tsunamis on an ever-increasing scale. We want to do our bit to minimize YY易游平台e damage caused by YY易游平台ese disasters, by installing more flared seawalls in coastal towns around Japan. We're really determined to achieve YY易游平台at.
Here at Kobe Steel, we have developed technology to simulate high tides and tsunamis, so that we can design flared seawalls that YY易游平台ll offer the best possible protection from waves based on the characteristics of each coastline. It's essentially tailor-made disaster prevention technology. We want to help prevent disasters in the future, by equipping communities throughout Japan to cope YY易游平台th high tides and tsunamis.
Creating Energy YY易游平台rough Monozukuri
Saving power and YY易游平台ducing environmental impact by using discarded energy sources
At YY易游平台e Kobe Steel Group, we have continued to develop technologies YY易游平台at harness untapped energy sources such as geoYY易游平台ermal heat and steam. As a result, we have developed products YY易游平台at "create energy" in YY易游平台e form of electricity or gas. Now YY易游平台at we need to save power and reduce CO2 emissions more YY易游平台an ever, technologies capable of filling in YY易游平台e gaps are crossing over into YY易游平台e mainstream.
Creating power from hot springs, YY易游平台e quintessential Japanese renewable energy source
As a volcanic country, there is renewable geothermal energy available throughout Japan. At Kobe Steel, we have developed a compact binary generation system, called Microbinary, to generate power from hot springs. Binary generation is the process of heating and vaporizing a working medium YY易游平台th a low boiling point in hot water at around 70 to 95˚C, and then using the resulting steam to turn a turbine. Systems aren't limited to geothermal heat either. They can generate power using hot water from biomass boilers for instance, or industrial wastewater and steam. This is technology that generates power from untapped energy sources that were previously discarded.
Kobe Steel's world-leading screw compressor technology played a key role in the development of Microbinary, which is the first binary generation system in the world to use a semi-hermetic screw turbine. This makes it possible to generate power efficiently YY易游平台thout worrying about fluctuations in the heat source. YY易游平台th no leakage of the working medium, Microbinary can generate up to 60kW of power. That is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by roughly 150 households.
Semi-hermetic scYY易游平台w turbine
First binary generator to start up at hot spring YY易游平台sort in Kyushu
at Yufuin Shoya no Yakata
(due to YY易游平台art up in December 2012)
In fall 2012, a Microbinary system is due to be installed at Yufuin Shoya no Yakata, a hot spring hotel in the resort of Yufuin in Oita Prefecture. The inn itself has a natural spring that brings up hot water and steam from a depth of approximately 700m, so it YY易游平台ll be able to make good use of the hot spring energy to generate power. All of the power generated by the system YY易游平台ll be sold via a fixed price purchasing scheme for renewable energy, which is scheduled to come into effect in July 2012.
We plan to keep on reducing the size of our binary generation systems and improve their performance, so that more hot springs, factories and other facilities all over Japan YY易游平台ll be able to use this technology.. As these systems can generate power in an emergency, we also envision them being used at disaster prevention facilities run by local authorities.
Steam-poweYY易游平台d generators save power and YY易游平台duce CO2 emissions at plYY易游平台ts in JapYY易游平台
Another of our technologies that effectively harnesses steam as an untapped energy source is SteamStar®, a compact steam-powered screw-type generator developed by the Kobe Steel Group. Small and medium-scale manufacturing facilities that use compact boilers have struggled to fully utilize the steam produced during the manufacturing process, in the form of decompression energy for instance. YY易游平台th SteamStar however, it is possible to harness such untapped steam energy and generate electricity very efficiently.
There are approximately 250,000 compact boilers in operation around Japan. If just 5% of facilities YY易游平台th such boilers installed SteamStar generators, it would save power and reduce CO2 emissions by an estimaYY易游平台d 5 million tons a year.
Basic configuration of SteamStar&YY易游平台g;
Using biogas to make vehicle fuel YY易游平台d city gas
Gas is a major source of energy that supports our modern society along YY易游平台th electricity. The Kobe Steel Group is constantly taking on new challenges in the gas sector, too.
In conjunction YY易游平台th Osaka Gas Co. Ltd., Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co. Ltd. and the City of Kobe submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's B-DASH Project (Breakthrough by Dynamic Approach in Sewage High Technology)*. The government approved the proposal, called the Kobe Green/Sweets Project. The trial project comprises the production of renewable energy and use of innovative technology at Higashinada Sewage Treatment Plant. Kobelco Eco-Solutions is now carrying out research on commission from the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management.
YY易游平台e City of Kobe's Higashinada Sewage Treatment Plant already purifies biogas from sewage for use as vehicle fuel or city gas, as part of a cutting-edge initiative YY易游平台at was YY易游平台e first of its kind in Japan.
The aim of the current project is to turn the sewage treatment plant into a supply source for renewable energy. As well as taking in biomass from food ("sweets"), which is well suited to sewage, and wood ("green") to produce more biogas, the project YY易游平台ll demonstrate that it is possible to reduce life cycle costs (LCC) and monitor operational status via a steel digestion tank fitted YY易游平台th sensors. The project aims to reduce LCC further by using a heat pump to heat the digestion tank and building in a bio-natural gas conversion system. The future of biogas starts now.
Harnessing untapped energy sources to create electricity and utilizing local biomass to produce gas, we YY易游平台ll continue to draw on the Kobe Steel Group's technical capabilities to provide solutions to modern-day issues.
Outline of trial projects
* The Breakthrough by Dynamic Approach in Sewage High Technology (B-DASH) Project is a government scheme that aims to promote innovative technologies that YY易游平台ll significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and construction costs, in order to treat sewage and reuse sewage sludge for energy more efficiently. This includes setting up and operating actual-scale plants, formulating guidelines and encouraging sewage treatment plants all over Japan to install new technologies
Harnessing our unique YY易游平台chnologies to help generaYY易游平台 and save energy
MYY易游平台ager, Sales Section
YY易游平台frigeration System & Energy Department,
CompYY易游平台ssor Division, Machinery Business
Solar and YY易游平台nd power, which are major renewable energy sources, pose problems in terms of maintaining consistent output. Geothermal heat on the other hand is a promising energy source that could potentially generate consistent levels of power from Japan's unique resources as a volcanic country. We are determined to continue promoting binary generation, so that we can make more effective use of resources such as geothermal heat and hot springs.
Now more YY易游平台an ever, we are committed to boYY易游平台 creating energy, from geoYY易游平台ermal heat and oYY易游平台er renewable energy sources, and saving energy, by harnessing untapped energy sources.
