The program aims to establish a process for injecting hydrogen using the Sequence Impulse Process (SIP) technology directly into the blast furnace via the shaft. In addition to the grant, contributions will be made by each of the research partners, bringing the total project value to €3.5 million.
This project, which will conclude in 2028, brings together a consortium of major European players within the iron and steelmaking sector to take the concept from laboratory to industrial demonstration. The key technology will be designed and provided by thyssenkrupp AT.PRO tec GmbH with furnace integration design and full-scale economic evaluation by Primetals Technologies Ltd. Analysis and modeling will be conducted by the research institutes VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut, which is also the project coordinator, and K1-MET GmbH. thyssenkrupp Steel Europe will provide the industrial scale laboratory work fabrications and material burdening capabilities, with voestalpine completing the consortium as the hosts for the trial process to be placed on an operating blast furnace at their Linz works, Austria.
The Research Fund for Coal and Steel is an EU funding program which supports research projects in coal and steel sectors. Every year around €55 million is made available to universities, research centers, and private companies to fund projects. The funding is awarded to large clean steelmaking research and innovation breakthrough projects, aimed at leading to near zero-carbon steelmaking by 2030.
