Thyssenkrupp Steel launches a series of tests on the use of hydrogen in a blast furnace

Thyssenkrupp Steel this week launched a series of tests on the use of hydrogen in a blast furnace during normal operation.

At the start of the test, hydrogen was injected through one of 28 tuyeres of blast furnace No. 9 in Duisburg. The start button was symbolically pressed by the Minister of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, who financially supports the projects. Another partner is the gas producer Air Liquide. Tk Steel plans to gradually expand the use of hydrogen to all 28 tuyeres in blast furnace # 9, and then, starting in 2022, to all three subsequent blast furnaces.

The classic blast furnace process requires about 300 kg of coke and 200 kg of pulverized coal to produce 1 ton of pig iron. While coal injection produces CO2 emissions, hydrogen only produces water vapor. Thus, CO2 savings of up to 20% are already possible at this stage of the production process.

The use of hydrogen is intended to be used on an industrial scale. In recent months, preliminary studies and simulations have been carried out before bringing the technology back into normal operation. “We want to reduce our hydrogen emissions while continuing to produce cast iron of the same quality,” says Arnd Köffler, CTO at tk Steel.

Following the conversion of the blast furnaces, the company plans to build large direct reduction units that will then run on hydrogen-containing gases starting in the mid-2020s.