【HaiChuan Chemical Project Updates】Industrial Application Demonstration Project for Renewable Energy-Based Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production in Changli, Hebei – 300,000 m3/d capacity

It is understood that in 2021, Xingguo Foundry Company, in collaboration with Shanghai University, carried out a pilot test in China for the development of hydrogen-enriched blast furnace ironmaking technology using pure hydrogen as the blowing gas source. By replacing carbon with hydrogen, it was possible to reduce the coke ratio by over 10%, cut CO₂ emissions by more than 10%, and increase iron production by over 13%; the results in terms of energy savings and carbon reduction were significant. At the same time, experience was gained in the safe use of hydrogen on a large scale in steel production. Through this pilot test, key technologies were systematically studied, verified, evaluated, and improved, enabling the practical application of individual technologies and fostering integrated innovation, thus establishing a complete theoretical framework and processing methodology for hydrogen-enriched, low-carbon blast furnace ironmaking. According to relevant projections, while maintaining the current steel production levels, the output of crude steel via the hydrogen reduction method is expected to reach around 300 million tons by 2050, requiring approximately 23 million tons of green hydrogen. The steel industry is one of the sectors with the highest carbon emissions and the greatest pressure to decarbonize. In 2022, China’s annual steel production was around 1.018 billion tons, with total carbon emissions amounting to approximately 1.832 billion tons, accounting for about 15% of the country’s total carbon emissions. Due to the emissions resulting from fuel combustion in China’s steel production as well as those generated during the reaction processes that use coke as the primary reducing agent, it is difficult to achieve complete decarbonization through electrification. Using green hydrogen as a substitute for carbon as a reducing agent, in combination with electric arc furnaces for steel production, represents one of the most promising solutions for achieving carbon neutrality in the steel industry.

The main research and application areas of hydrogen metallurgy technology are hydrogen-enriched smelting in blast furnaces and hydrogen-based reduction smelting outside blast furnaces. Among them, hydrogen-enriched smelting in blast furnaces achieves a certain degree of hydrometallurgy by injecting a hydrogen-enriched medium into the furnace to replace part of the carbon reduction with hydrogen reduction, but its emission reduction potential is limited. Non-blast furnace hydrogen-based reduction smelting includes processes such as hydrogen-based direct reduction smelting and hydrogen-based molten reduction smelting. It offers a high theoretical potential for carbon emission reduction, but the technology is not yet mature and its development is still in an early stage. Driven by carbon neutrality policies, China’s leading steel companies are actively investing in the development of new hydrogen-based metallurgy projects, and the research, development, and commercialization of such processes are set to enter a period of rapid growth. At present, the bottleneck hindering the widespread adoption of hydrogen-enriched blast furnace smelting technology lies in the large-scale, cost-effective production as well as the safe storage and transportation of green hydrogen. Xingguo Casting Industry, in collaboration with the 718 Institute, LONGi Hydrogen Energy, and Yu Hydrogen Equipment, are all global leaders in providing solutions for hydrogen production through water electrolysis; their respective technologies are at the international forefront. By working together, these parties aim to address the common key challenges associated with the use of green hydrogen in metallurgy, to solve the problems related to the large-scale local utilization of green electricity for hydrogen production and to manage fluctuations in load demand. They plan to develop the world’s largest alkaline water electrolysis systems for hydrogen production, to overcome the barriers between renewable energy generation, hydrogen production via water electrolysis, large-scale hydrogen storage, and hydrogen-enriched blast furnace smelting, and to promote the development and application of related technologies and equipment. Hydrogen energy is widely recognized as one of the most ideal clean energies globally, and it is also an important means to drive changes in the energy structure and achieve the \"dual carbon\" goals. The steel industry is a key sector characterized by high energy consumption and high pollution levels; the combination of the two will undoubtedly contribute to the achievement of \"green steel\".

【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Engineering Technology】068 – The first megawatt-class electrolytic water hydrogen production demonstration project at the Shengli Oilfield came online in 2023. https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3697574-1-1.html (Source: Huahai Chuanliu – Haichuan Network)