Fossil-free Sponge iron
A strategic partnership between Kanthal AB (Stockholm, Sweden; www.kanthal.com) and Hybrit aims to develop an electric gas-heating solution for the fossil-free hydrogen used to reduce iron ore in the Hybrit process. Hybrit (hydrogen breakthrough ironmaking technology) is a cooperation between the steel company SSAB, mining company LKAB and the energy company Vattenfall. Its aim is to replace the coal-based blast furnace process with a direct reduction process, based on H2 produced with fossil-free electricity.
One of the challenges in the Hybrit process is the ability to preheat large amounts of H2, and this is where Kanthal will contribute. “Many industries around the world are struggling to find a solution that can heat large amounts of gas right now,” says says Anders Björklund, president, Kanthal. “With this collaboration, we can develop a viable solution together.”
Currently, Hybrit operates a pilot plant in northern Sweden, and Kanthal is developing the first heater and preparing it for testing in the pilot plant. The heater will be in the 250-kW range. If it proves successful, it will be upgraded to a 1-MW version. The goal is to develop a large-scale heating solution that could heat high volumes of H 2 up to 1,000°C. The development project is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency.
In addition to the pilot plant, Hybrit plans for an industrial-scale demonstration plant, to be commissioned by 2026 and produce 1 million ton/yr of iron. If Kanthal’s heating solution meets the technical, financial and time requirements of the pilot plant, it will be scaled up and installed in the demonstration plant.