JP2024073343A - Information Processing Method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] Supporting the ordering of carbon-neutral steel products. [Solution] An information processing method by an information processing device 1, the information processing device 1 including a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, capable of communicating with a network via the communication unit, includes acquiring order information ordering the manufacture of steel products using electricity defined in terms of non-fossil value or zero-emission value by the control unit, determining the amount of electricity required to manufacture the steel products from the product weight and the yield value of the steel products included in the order information, and storing at least a portion of the amount of electricity required in the storage unit in association with certification information certifying that the electricity is defined in terms of non-fossil value or zero-emission value. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing method.

Conventionally, there is known an ordering system that issues an instruction to order and ship additional supplies when the amount of a supply used in an image forming device such as a printer reaches a predetermined amount (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-325514

The products ordered through the above ordering system are limited to supplies used in image forming devices.

The purpose of this disclosure, made in light of these circumstances, is to support the ordering of carbon-neutral steel products.

An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
An information processing method by an information processing device,
the information processing device includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and is capable of communicating with a network via the communication unit;
The control unit
Obtaining order information for ordering the manufacture of steel products using electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value;
determining an amount of electricity required for manufacturing the steel product based on a product weight included in the order information and a yield value of the steel product;
storing at least a portion of the required amount of electricity in the storage unit in association with certification information that certifies that the required amount of electricity is electricity defined in terms of a non-fossil value or a zero-emission value;
including.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to assist in ordering carbon-neutral steel products.

1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a yield table by type. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of an order information DB (database). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a mill sheet. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the information processing device.

The information processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a computer such as a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system. As an alternative, the information processing device 1 may be a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a wearable device, or a tablet. As another alternative, the information processing device 1 may be a general-purpose device such as a PC, or a dedicated device. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer.

The information processing device 1 can communicate with one or more other information processing devices via a network. The network may be any wired or wireless network, such as a mobile communication network, a fixed communication network, or the Internet.

The internal configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described in detail. The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a storage unit 13. The components of the information processing device 1 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, for example, via a dedicated line.

The control unit 11 includes, for example, one or more general-purpose processors including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Instead of including a processor, the control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 11 may include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control unit 11 controls the communication unit 12 to send and receive any information.

The communication unit 12 includes a communication module compatible with one or more wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 12 may include a module compatible with one or more mobile communication standards including LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 12 may include a communication module compatible with one or more short-range communication standards or specifications including Bluetooth (registered trademark), AirDrop (registered trademark), IrDA, ZigBee (registered trademark), Felica (registered trademark), or RFID. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives any information via the network NW.

The memory unit 13 includes, but is not limited to, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The memory unit 13 may function, for example, as a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. The memory unit 13 may store information resulting from analysis or processing by the control unit 11. The memory unit 13 may store various information related to the operation or control of the information processing device 1, etc. The memory unit 13 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc. The memory unit 13 may be provided outside the information processing device 1 and may be accessed from the information processing device 1. The memory unit 13 includes an order information DB.

The information processing method by the information processing device 1 will be described later.

In this embodiment, steel products are manufactured in an electric furnace EF in FIG. 2. In the electric furnace EF, a high voltage is applied to an electrode EL to generate an electric arc EA. The electric furnace EF melts, for example, scrap iron using the heat of the arc. The molten steel ML produced by the melting is processed into steel products after undergoing processes such as component adjustment, casting, and rolling.

The electric power used in the electric furnace EF of this embodiment is generated from a non-fossil power source such as renewable energy, and does not emit carbon dioxide. The renewable energy here refers to the following energy sources.
1. Solar power, 2. Wind power, 3. Hydropower, 4. Geothermal power, 5. Biomass (organic matter derived from plants and animals that can be used as an energy source (excluding crude oil, petroleum gas, combustible natural gas, coal, and products manufactured from these)).
6) In addition to the energy sources listed in 1 to 5 above, energy sources other than crude oil, petroleum gas, combustible natural gas, coal, and products manufactured from these, which are specified by government ordinance as being capable of being used permanently as an energy source for electricity.

Non-fossil fuel power sources include not only renewable energy but also, for example, nuclear power. Electricity generated from non-fossil fuel sources includes the following two types:
1. The value of electricity itself (kWh value, etc.)
2. Non-fossil value In this embodiment, of the two values, "2. Non-fossil value" is referred to as non-fossil value. In the electric furnace EF, electricity defined as non-fossil value is used. The non-fossil value here is the value recorded as a non-fossil power source when calculating the non-fossil power source ratio under the "Energy Supply Structure Advanced Law" of Japan. The non-fossil value is the value purchased by a new electricity retailer to achieve a set target value.

Electricity defined by its non-fossil value can be obtained and proven, for example, using at least one of three means:
(1) Non-Fossil Certificate (2) Green Power Certificate (3) J-Credit

A non-fossil certificate is a certificate that certifies the environmental value of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

A Green Power Certificate is a certificate of the environmental value of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Each Green Power Certificate is unique as it is assigned a serial number. A Green Power Certificate contains information on the amount of electricity generated, the period during which it was generated, the method of generation, and the date the certificate was issued. A Green Power Certificate also contains information on the name of the certifying body and the name of the company that issued the certificate.

J-Credit is a system in which the government certifies the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and absorption of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as "credits."

Additionally or alternatively, electricity defined at its non-fossil value may be obtained and proven by the following means:
(4) Power generation using solar power generation facilities owned by the company

As an alternative example, the electricity used in the electric furnace EF may be electricity defined by zero emission value, not electricity defined by non-fossil value. The zero emission value here is a value with a carbon dioxide emission coefficient of zero under the Japanese "Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures" (hereinafter, the Global Warming Countermeasures Act). Specifically, the zero emission value is a value that allows an electricity retailer to subtract the carbon dioxide emission calculated by multiplying the amount of electricity of the non-fossil certificate procured by the "national average coefficient" from the actual carbon dioxide emission when calculating the adjusted emission coefficient. When an electricity purchaser such as a manufacturing company reports the carbon dioxide emission amount to the country based on the Global Warming Countermeasures Act, the carbon dioxide emission coefficient of electricity with zero emission value is zero. For example, the electricity defined by zero emission value may be electricity generated by an existing electricity sales company using renewable energy such as hydroelectric power or nuclear power. The electricity defined by zero emission value can be obtained and proven by the following means.
(5) Contracts with electricity retailers (e.g., "Aqua Premium" (registered trademark) and "Aqua Energy 100" offered by Tokyo Electric Power Energy Partner (registered trademark))

For each of the above-mentioned means (1) to (5), information such as a certificate proving that the electricity used in the electric furnace EF is electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value is obtained as unique proof information from a certificate issuing business or certification body. The above means (1) to (5) are only examples, and can be replaced by any other means proving that the electricity used in the electric furnace EF is electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value.

In this embodiment, the method of proving that the electricity used in the electric furnace EF is electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value is to obtain and prove the electricity by any of the above (1) to (5). The proof information is purchased at an auction or from an intermediary. The proof information is stored in the memory unit 13 or the inventory management system.

As an additional example, the certification information may include non-fossil residue information certified by any manufacturer.

The control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 acquires order information for ordering the manufacture of steel products using electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value. The order information may be acquired by receiving it from another information processing device via the network and communication unit 12, or may be acquired by manually inputting it into the information processing device 1. The order information includes, for example, information on JIS standards, quantity, or delivery date.

The control unit 11 determines the manufacturing standard of the steel product from the order information. The manufacturing standard may include information such as the product type, manufacturing route, product weight, and steel type. For convenience of explanation, the product weight is assumed to be m [ton]. The product type may include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
・Deformed steel bars, wire rods, flat steel, shaped steel, H-shaped steel, square steel, round steel, thick plates, hot-rolled plates, thin plates

The control unit 11 refers to a type-specific yield table shown in Fig. 3. The type-specific yield table is stored in the storage unit 13. The yields here are, for example, tapping yield, slab yield, and rolling yield, but are not limited to these. The value of each yield is calculated by the following formula.
Rolling yield = product weight/rolled weight (weight of good cast pieces)
Casting yield = weight of good cast pieces/weight of tapped steel
Steel tapping yield = Steel tapping weight / Total charged iron weight

Each yield value is an actual value between 0 and 1. Each yield value may be updated periodically (e.g., monthly).

The control unit 11 reads out the tapping yield value (any of a1 to a10), slab yield value (any of b1 to b10), and rolling yield value (any of c1 to c10) corresponding to the product type included in the order information. For ease of explanation, the read out tapping yield value will be referred to as a, the slab yield value as b, and the rolling yield value as c. Therefore, the following relational expression is established.
Rolled weight (weight of good cast strip) = m/c
Tapped steel weight = (m/c)/b
Total iron weight = ((m/c)/b)/a

The control unit 11 determines the amount of electricity required to manufacture the steel product based on the product weight and the yield value of the steel product contained in the order information, as follows:

The control unit 11 calculates the rolling power consumption unit Er [kWh/t] using the following formula, where "t" represents "ton."
Rolling power consumption unit Er = Rolling power consumption / Rolled weight (weight of good cast strip)
Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates the rolling power amount Wr [kWh] using the following formula.
Wr = Er * Rolled weight = Er * (m/c)

The control unit 11 calculates the casting power consumption rate Ec [kWh/t] using the following formula.
Casting power consumption unit Ec=casting power amount/tapped steel weight Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates the casting power amount Wc [kWh] using the following calculation formula.
Wc=Ec*weight of tapped steel=Ec*(m/c)/b

The control unit 11 calculates the electric furnace power consumption rate Ea [kWh/t] using the following formula.
Electric furnace power consumption rate Ea [kWh/t]=electric furnace power consumption/steel tapping weight Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates the electric furnace power consumption Wa [kWh] using the following formula.
Wa=Ea*weight of tapped steel=Ea*(m/c)/b

After calculating the rolling power amount Wr, the casting power amount Wc, and the electric furnace power amount Wa, the control unit 11 calculates the required power amount Wrn [kWh] required to manufacture steel products using the following formula.
Wrn = Wr + Wc + Wa

The required amount of electricity is calculated as described above. As an alternative, in addition to the rolling electricity amount Wr, the casting electricity amount Wc, and the electric furnace electricity amount Wa, another amount of electricity (for example, the amount of electricity used in the office) may be added.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 11 stores the required amount of electricity in the order information DB of the storage unit 13 in association with certification information that certifies that the electricity used in the electric furnace EF during the manufacture of steel products is electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value. In this embodiment, the required amount of electricity is stored as mill sheet information, but as an alternative, it may be stored in another item. For example, when the required amount of electricity is 5,213 kWh, the control unit 11 reads certification information for 5,213 kWh from the storage unit 13. With this configuration, the control unit 11 can realize and certify that the electricity used in the electric furnace EF is electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value. As an alternative, the control unit 11 may store a portion of the required amount of electricity in association with the certification information.

As an additional example, if the control unit 11 determines that the required amount of electricity is not within the range of the amount of electricity certified by the certification information in the memory unit 13, the control unit 11 can purchase additional certification information from an external system.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 11 issues the mill sheet MS electronically or physically from the information in the order information DB. If the mill sheet MS is physical, the mill sheet MS is attached to the steel product.

The mill sheet MS is an inspection certificate that certifies whether a steel product meets the requirements of a specified standard, etc. The mill sheet MS includes, for example, the following mill sheet information 51 to 58, certification information 59, and code information 60.
Includes:
・Certificate number 51 (unique serial number)
Inspection number 52
Product size 53
Number: 54
Mass 55
Tensile test results 56
・Bending test results 57
Chemical composition 58

The certification information 59 here includes the serial number of the green power certificate and information on the amount of electricity certified by the green power certificate (here, 5,213 kWh).

As an additional example, the mill sheet MS may include, as mill sheet information, information on the amount of electricity required to manufacture steel products or yield values.

The mill sheet MS includes code information 60 for accessing the mill sheet information and the certification information. As shown in FIG. 5, the code information 60 is a QR code (registered trademark). As an alternative, the code information 60 may be any code such as a barcode. The code information 60 is readable by any user terminal (e.g., a smartphone). When the control unit 11 detects that the code information 60 has been read, it may transmit the mill sheet information and the certification information to the user terminal. In other words, the mill sheet information and the certification information are clouded and can be read by the user terminal.

As an additional example, the information processing device 1 may participate as a node in a distributed ledger (Hyperledger) type blockchain network. The blockchain network may be a public network connected to the Internet, or may be a private network. The control unit 11 registers information stored in the order information DB (e.g., mill sheet information and certification information) in the blockchain. The information stored in the order information DB may be stored in one block of the blockchain for each record.

The information processing method by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

In step S1, the control unit 11 acquires order information. In step S2, the control unit 11 determines manufacturing standards, etc. from the order information. In step S3, the control unit 11 determines the amount of electricity required to manufacture the steel product from the product weight and the yield value of the steel product contained in the order information. In step S4, the control unit 11 stores at least a portion of the amount of electricity required in the memory unit 13 in association with certification information that certifies that the electricity is defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value. In step S5, the control unit 11 issues a mill sheet for the steel product.

[effect]
As described above, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 executes the following: acquiring order information for ordering the manufacture of steel products using electricity defined by non-fossil value or zero-emission value; determining the amount of electricity required for the manufacture of the steel products from the product weight and the yield value of the steel products included in the order information; and storing at least a part of the amount of electricity required in the storage unit 13 in association with certification information that certifies that the electricity is defined by non-fossil value or zero-emission value. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can support the ordering of carbon-neutral steel products as a first effect. As a second effect, the information processing device 1 can increase the overall evaluation of the steel product manufacturer from the government, thereby increasing the possibility of winning a competitive bid, and thus increasing the amount of orders and profits. As a third effect, the information processing device 1 can capture demand from customers who want carbon-neutral steel products, thereby increasing the selling price of the steel products. As a fourth effect, if the present patent application is granted, it may be possible to obtain royalties (license fees) by granting a license to a person who practices the patented invention (for example, an electric furnace manufacturer that produces steel products).

In addition, according to this embodiment, the yield includes at least one of the rolling yield, the slab yield, and the tapping yield. Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates the required amount of electricity from the product weight, the yield value, the rolling power amount, the casting power amount, and the electric furnace power amount. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can improve the accuracy of calculating the required amount of electricity.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the control unit 11 determines that the required amount of electricity is not within the range of the amount of electricity certified by the certification information, it purchases additional certification information. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can avoid a situation where certification information is insufficient, and can support the ordering of carbon-neutral steel products.

According to this embodiment, the network includes a blockchain network. The control unit 11 registers the associated mill sheet information and certification information in the blockchain. When the blockchain technology is used in this way, the registered information is distributed and shared by all nodes. In other words, no central administrator is required. This provides the following effects.
- Difficult to tamper - No single point of failure, so no system downtime - Easy data sharing with other systems Therefore, the information processing device 1 can realize a highly secure and low-cost system. Furthermore, since all data is recorded in the blockchain, traceability is ensured.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 issues a mill sheet for the steel product. The mill sheet includes code information for accessing the mill sheet information and the certification information. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can improve the accessibility to the mill sheet information and the certification information.

Although the present disclosure is described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means or step can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided.

For example, in the above embodiment, a program that executes all or part of the functions or processes of the information processing device 1 can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program is distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. The program may also be distributed by storing the program in the storage of an arbitrary server and transmitting the program from the arbitrary server to another computer. The program may also be provided as a program product. The present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor.

The computer temporarily stores in the main storage device, for example, a program recorded on a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server. The computer then reads the program stored in the main storage device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred to the computer from the server. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that does not transfer a program from the server to the computer and achieves functions only by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. Programs include information used for processing by a computer that is equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct command to a computer but has properties that define computer processing falls under "something equivalent to a program."

1 Information processing device

Claims (6)

An information processing method by an information processing device,
the information processing device includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and is capable of communicating with a network via the communication unit;
The control unit
Obtaining order information for ordering the manufacture of steel products using electricity defined as non-fossil value or zero-emission value;
determining an amount of electricity required for manufacturing the steel product based on a product weight included in the order information and a yield value of the steel product;
storing at least a portion of the required amount of electricity in the storage unit in association with certification information that certifies that the required amount of electricity is electricity defined in terms of a non-fossil value or a zero-emission value;
An information processing method comprising: 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The information processing method, wherein the yield includes at least one of a rolling yield, a cast yield, and a tapping yield. 3. The information processing method according to claim 2,
Calculating the required amount of electricity from the product weight, the yield value, a rolling electricity amount, a casting electricity amount, and an electric furnace electricity amount.
Information processing methods. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
purchasing additional certification information upon determining that the required amount of power is not within a range of the amount of power certified by the certification information.
Information processing methods. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The network includes a blockchain network;
The mill sheet information of the steel product and the certification information are further registered in a blockchain.
Information processing methods. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
issuing a mill certificate for the steel product;
The mill sheet includes code information for accessing the mill sheet information of the steel product and the certification information,
Information processing methods.

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