Revolutionizing Steel Production: SMS group Successfully Tests 100% Hydrogen Burner for Decarbonization

A few weeks ago, the Pittini Group carried out successful industrial tests with a hydrogen burner for electric steel production developed by SMS group at its Ferriere Nord plant in Osoppo, Italy.

Representatives from RINA, SMS group, Nippon Gases Italy and Celsa Barcelona took part in the two-day trials. The burner managed a rapid increase in the hydrogen content from 0 to 100 % at an average output of 3 MW; additional tests were carried out at 4 MW. Several electric arc furnace (EAF) melting operations were carried out, in four of which only the hydrogen burner was used while the other burners remained switched off. These comparative tests provided an in-depth understanding of the innovative burner, which behaved stably as expected.

The tests are part of the EU-funded project ‘Developing and Enabling H₂ Burner Utilisation to Produce Liquid Steel in Electric Arc Furnaces (DevH2forEAF)’, a collaboration between SMS group, RINA, Nippon Gases and RWTH Aachen University. The next step involves tests at Celsa Steel in Spain.

SMS group, one of the world's leading plant manufacturers in the metal industry, has been a regular exhibitor at ‘wire & Tube’ for many years. With its innovative strength and expertise, which is also evident in this project, SMS group is constantly setting new standards for the future of metal processing.