Tata Steel Nederland has tasked Primetals Technologies with developing and providing one of the world's most advanced pellet pot testing facilities. This facility is located at the pilot plant in IJmuiden, Netherlands, and is expected to be operational by mid-2025. The company is planning the implementation of direct reduction and electric steelmaking plants at the IJmuiden site, which necessitates the ability to produce carefully developed pellet-feed mixtures.
Capacity Expansion
The design of the pellet pot testing facility, inspired by a pellet pot that has been operational in Leoben, Austria, since 2014 by Primetals Technologies, promises to raise the standards for capacity, autonomous operation, and special features. These features are specially tailored to the conditions of Tata Steel Nederland's industrial pelletizing plant, ensuring the facility can perform up to six daily and up to 500 annual pot grate tests.
"This is one of the largest investments by Tata Steel R&D in years," said Vincent Ritman, Director of Tata Steel R&D. "With Primetals Technologies, we are bringing on board a reliable and knowledgeable partner who will help us establish the connection between the pellet plant and the future direct reduction plant. The facility can produce high-quality and uniform pellets on a large scale, i.e., 65 kilograms, for the current pellet research program."
Enhanced Analysis Systems
The facility will enable Tata Steel to rapidly and comprehensively test various concentrates and pellet-feed mixtures. It will also allow for detailed analysis and determination of optimal temperature profiles tailored to Tata Steel Nederland’s pellet quality goals.
An important component of the testing facility is an off-gas analysis system, which will provide valuable data on emission levels. Tata Steel Nederland is ambitious to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and become carbon-neutral by 2045.
Promoting Environmentally Friendly Steel Production
Tata Steel Nederland, comprising Tata Steel IJmuiden and Tata Steel Downstream Europe, is one of the leading steel producers in Europe. The company supplies high-demand industries worldwide, including construction, automotive, and packaging industries, as well as manufacturers of industrial machinery.
The IJmuiden site is set for a significant transition to gas and hydrogen-based direct-reduced iron technology and steel production using electric arc furnaces. These technological advances require a switch to different raw materials and higher pellet quality standards. Consequently, the new state-of-the-art pellet testing facility will play a key role in ensuring optimal raw material mixes for the pelletizing plant and in optimizing the parameters for the induration process.
