07
Nov

Green Hydrogen for a Clean Steel Industry? (Complete article) , 7 novembre 2022

Téléchargez l’ Article complet par Bernard Mairy (pdf) , 7 novembre 2022.

This article consists of three successive parts which were published in the SEII Newsletter issues of respectively September 14, 2021, April 20, 2022 and October 22, 2022 .

It is dealing with the possible use of green hydrogen for decarbonization purposes as an alternative reductant to carbon (coke) (not as an energy vector). This conversion from carbon to hydrogen metallurgy would be a big challenge to target as huge investments ( i.e massive financing ) would be required for building the new steelmaking facilities (based on direct reduction and electrical arc furnace) and for providing the new infrastructures able to supply big amounts of hydrogen and electrical power.  .. unless other innovative technologies would be more appropriate and more affordable, it looks that it is irrelevant to promote the green hydrogen as the solution for decarbonizing the steel industry.

As a likely more affordable alternative, a “smart carbon approach” combining green hydrogen, electrification, waste carbon, CCU and CCS technologies is described .

Finally , instead of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources, a totally different approach is suggested , which is based on “pink” hydrogen produced by advanced nuclear plants …by thermally splitting the water molecule through the high coolant temperature of such new nuclear reactors (Generation IV HTGR and molten salt MSR) .  In addition, these new reactors would be of course able to provide  electrical power as well as heat power requested for the energy transition of the steel industry.