en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 26th, As part of its transformation towards green steel production, Thyssenkrupp Steel has invested in a new test laboratory at its Schwelgern site in Duisburg. This laboratory expands the testing capabilities of the existing metallurgical lab, enabling future raw materials for hydrogen-based direct reduction plants to be tested in accordance with ISO standards. The project order, valued at approximately €2.4 million, was awarded to Heat & Power. The establishment of this laboratory provides technical support for green steel production.
The testing environment of the new equipment is oriented towards future operating conditions. Currently, blast furnace process gases contain only about 2% hydrogen, while the direct reduction route is already being tested with about 45% hydrogen in natural gas operation mode. As the planned hydrogen content increases, the testing conditions will gradually adapt to the higher hydrogen levels. In the two test furnaces, water vapor can also be introduced into the process as needed to study its impact on the reduction rate of raw materials. These studies aim to supplement ISO testing, enabling a more comprehensive assessment of raw materials and process conditions. Green steel production places higher demands on raw material testing.
Thyssenkrupp Steel's future process route will combine direct reduction plants with electric smelting furnaces, removing impurities from the hot metal through specific slag metallurgy within the system. This significantly expands the range of suitable raw materials. In addition to specialized DR pellets, traditional blast furnace pellets can also be used, making the raw material strategy more flexible. In the future, the company will utilize the new laboratory as a core technical foundation to independently assess the suitability of raw materials for the direct reduction process. Laboratory staff will receive specialized training for the new tasks, including equipment operation, measurement value evaluation, and the safe handling of hydrogen-containing test gases.
