Together with Ovako, Linde has conducted a full-scale test to heat steel with hydrogen before rolling. The test was performed with good results in one of Ovako's pit ovens at the Hofors rolling mill in Sweden.
Controls of the steel show that the heating with hydrogen did not affect the quality of the steel, which means good conditions for introducing heating of full-scale rolling mill furnaces. This would drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the steel industry.
“This is a big event for the steel industry. This is the first time hydrogen has been used to heat steel in an existing production environment. Thanks to the test we know that it is possible to use hydrogen gas easily and flexibly, without affecting the quality of the steel, which would mean a very large reduction in the carbon dioxide imprint of the steel. For many years, we have worked closely with Linde and are proud to be able to do this together with them”, says Anders Lugnet, Group Technical Specialist, Energy & Furnace Technology at Ovako.
The use of pure hydrogen in combustion produces a large positive environmental effect as the only emission generated is water vapor.
“We are very happy and proud of our more than 25-year collaboration with Ovako, where we have sought to find solutions that reduce the environmental impact but maintain or improve the quality of the products. Being first with new technology is always exciting. Already last autumn we tried to heat Ovako's steel with hydrogen at Linde’s Combustion Tech Center in Älvsjö. The results were very promising. Therefore, it is extra fun to see that it also works in full operation, says Ola Ritzén, Product Manager Metallurgy at Linde Northern Europe.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of Linde's operations. The ambition is to reduce the carbon footprint by more than twice as much as the imprint of the company's operations through the company's products and solutions.
