Tenova, DMV to recover flared hydrogen in pipemaking
Tenova has established a consortium with DMV, along with other companies, to execute a project aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the bright annealing process in stainless steel seamless and nickel alloy tube production.
DMV was previously known as Mannesmann Stainless Tubes and is now part of Cogne.
The so-called LIFE H2Reuse project, funded by the EU, focuses on decarbonisation via the recovery and reuse of hydrogen. Tenova initiated the project this summer, aiming to improve energy efficiency while also enhancing the efficiency of hydrogen burners, optimising resource utilisation, and decreasing operating expenses.
“This groundbreaking initiative seeks to develop innovative solutions for hydrogen recovery and reuse … In the bright annealing process, 100% hydrogen is used in high-temperature furnaces to produce high-performance tubes with superior surface quality, corrosion resistance, and durability,” Tenova says in note sent to Kallanish.
“Currently, hydrogen is flared after each production cycle, leading to significant waste. The Life H2Reuse project aims to address this issue by developing two innovative technical solutions: recovering the wasted hydrogen from the annealing process and reusing it as fuel in radiant tubes working 100% of hydrogen. This approach represents a market-first innovation, as the recovery of atmospheric gas for reuse in industrial processes is not yet commercially available,” the technology supplier adds.
Tenova will test the project on its roller hearth furnace plants to reduce their carbon footprint.
In July, pipemaker Tenaris started decarbonising its steelmaking process using hydrogen and launched a trial at its Dalmine mill in Bergamo, Italy. This was the result of a six-month partnership with Snam and Tenova. The company’s objective is to use on-site hydrogen production to power a newly developed burner by Tenova, which is fully compatible with 100% hydrogen.
Natalia Capra France
