Salzgitter Group invests in new hydrogen-steel lab in Duisburg, Germany

Salzigitter Group has started construction of a new laboratory in Duisburg, Germany, to test steel samples to transport hydrogen-natural gas mixtures in pressures of up to 400 bars, with the commissioning scheduled for summer 2023, the steelmaker said June 29.

Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, or SZMF, a subsidiary of the Group, runs the research sites on the premises of Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann steel plant in Duisburg-Huckingen.

Products and processes focused on the material of steel are developed and tested at this site. Work is concentrated on producing tubes and pipes and heavy plate within the Salzgitter Group.

“Technologically speaking, testing under compressed hydrogen is particularly challenging,” said Juliane Mentz who is responsible for SZMF’s materials technology in Duisburg. “This applies not only to the testing facilities, but also to the explosion-proof laboratory as a whole. Only a handful of laboratories across Europe and worldwide offer such testing possibilities.”

Benedikt Ritterback, SZMF’s general manager, said that substituting coking coal to make steel production more sustainable requires hydrogen.

“Conversely, hydrogen needs suitable steel pipes and plate in order to transport and store hydrogen. We can do both and will make our contribution to this process,” Ritterback said.

Mannesmann H2ready steel pipes are already being used in the hydrogen economy in a wide range of applications, the company said.

Platts assessed HRC in Northern Europe at Eur840/mt ex-works Ruhr, unchanged day on day on June 29, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights.

— Annalisa Villa