REVISTA DYNA MANAGEMENT

The latest information from OVAKO Steel, a subsidiary of Sanyo Special Steel and a member of Nippon Steel Corp., which had already reduced its CO2 emissions by 57% between 2015 and 2021 through simple electrification of melting and heat treatment, shows how it is completing its transformation project using hydrogen for heating processes, to the point where it is currently managing to bring this level of reduction to 80% of 2015 emission levels.
The use of hydrogen as a substitute for gas (LPG) for heating products before the rolling and forging processes makes OVAKO the first steelworks in the world to use it, and its production from electrolysis with renewable electricity has been a major joint effort by Swedish industry that will culminate in 2030.
The plant will use one set of electrolysers with a total capacity of 20 MW to generate the 3,500 m3 of hydrogen needed and another is planned for a second plant of the same company. In March 2020, trials began worldwide for fossil-fuel-free heated steel forming, which requires reaching 1,200°C, using hydrogen instead of LPG before processing. Tests indicated that heating with hydrogen did not adversely affect the final product quality.
The system has a small buffer tank containing about 30 min of hydrogen production and the plant is designed to produce hydrogen only when needed, with an intelligent control system capable of regulating the hydrogen and gas mixture, depending on energy needs. Another important aspect has been to consider safety for the detection of any hydrogen leakage and for ventilation of the plant. The oxygen generated in the electrolysis is also used in the oxy-combustion of the heating system.