Clean Hydrogen from renewable energies is key to a successful cross-sectoral energy transition enabling the EU’s low-carbon economy goal in 2050. However, access to renewable electricity will be a limiting factor in the future and energy efficient technologies will still be important. Due to a significant energy input in form of steam preferably from industrial waste heat, High-Temperature Electrolysis based on Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) achieves outstanding electrical efficiencies.
Project Overview
Essential element of the GrInHy2.0 project is to produce hydrogen the most energy efficient way while increasing the technological maturity of the High-Temperature Electrolyser (HTE). Although starting with hydrogen production for today’s steel annealing processes, GrInHy2.0 marks an important milestone towards a hydrogen-based, low carbon European steel industry. Here, hydrogen has the potential to reduce today’s process related CO2 emissions by more than 95 %.
The Salzgitter companies Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH and Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH together with the partners Sunfire GmbH, Paul Wurth S.A. Tenova SpA and the French research centre CEA will work together at the world’s most powerful HTE for the energy efficient production of hydrogen. Further, the consortium will contribute to a detailed analysis of the potentials of renewable hydrogen in the iron-and-steel industry as well as the in-depth understanding of SOEC long-term behaviour on stack level.
With the first implementation of a high-temperature electrolyser of the Megawatt-class, GrInHy2.0’s prototype will produce 200 Nm³/h of hydrogen at nominal power
input of 720 kWAC. The HTE system consists of up to eight modules with 720 or 1,080 SOECs each, i.e. 24 or 36 stacks, respectively.
As in the predecessor project GrInHy, the prototype will be fully integrated into Salzgitter’s steelmaking operations and will run on steam from waste heat of the steel production. By the end of 2022 it is expected to have been in operation for at least 13,000 hours, producing a total of around 100 tons of high-purity ‘green’ hydrogen at electrical efficiency of minimum 84 %LHV.
In parallel to the prototype testing operation, a singular stack of the SOEC technology will set new standards in long-term testing with a test bench operation of at least 20,000 hours. The test will not only show the technology’s increased robustness but also provide potential starting points for further improvement.
In a broader perspective, the project will also deliver answers on how to avoid CO2 emissions in the European steel industry by switching to a hydrogen-based primary steelmaking and what it takes.
Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH (SZMF), centralized research and development (R&D) company of the Salzgitter Group, is responsible for the overall project coordination and the full Life Cycle Assessment of the Steam Electrolyser.
Paul Wurth S.A. (PW), developer and provider of gas processing technologies will be responsible for the design and development of the HPU, which ensures the required hydrogen quality in terms of pressure and moisture. Additionally, PW will perform cost analysis to optimize service and maintenance strategy in order to achieve lowest life cycle cost. PW will further investigate routes for N2 cleaning for applications with higher H2 purity demands (5.0 qualities) or in case that the hydrogen quality of the electrolyser is not sufficient.
Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), as a key player in research, development and innovation will provide long term stack tests as well as energy management strategy assessment as a support to StE design and on-site operation, and techno-economic analysis as a basis for further market development.
Tenova (TENOVA), a developer of innovative technologies and services for the metal and mining industries will create a study on the CO2 avoidance potential of hydrogen in the European steel industry. With its ENERGIRON-ZR process, a direct reduction process (DR) able to use alternative reducing gases such as hydrogen on a large scale, represents the leading edge of gas-based reduction technologies and an ideal step into the upcoming hydrogen era.
Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership) under Grant Agreement No 826350. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
Green Industrial Hydrogen
As a proof-of-concept, the GrInHy project includes designing, manufacturing and operation of a reversible generator based on the Solid Oxide Cell technology in a relevant industrial environment. The project has been granted funding under the call FCH-02.4-2015 and was active from 03/2016 - 02/2019.
High-temperature electrolysis (HTE) is one of the most promising technologies to address the European Commission´s roadmap towards a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050. The decarbonization of Europe’s industry, transport and energy sector by higher shares of renewable energy sources (RES) requires a high flexibility in energy production, load management and large-scale storages. A reversible HTE providing green hydrogen or electricity to these sectors is a possible solution as a cross-sectoral technology. Since a significant share of energy input is provided as heat – preferably from waste heat, the HTE achieves outstanding electrical efficiencies resulting in an electricity demand of <40 kWh instead of 51-60 kWh per kg hydrogen in SoA low-temperature electrolysis.
Central element of GrInHy is the manufacturing, integration and operation of the worldwide most powerful reversible HTE prototype at an integrated iron-and-steel works. As a Research and Innovation Action, the project also focused on the improvement of robustness and durability of the HTE technology on cell and stack level.
The project’s main objectives were as follows:
- Up-scaling of an HTE system (150 kWAC,EC) that can also be operated reversibly as fuel cell using either natural gas or hydrogen as fuels
- Operation for at least 7,000 h meeting the hydrogen quality standards of the steel industry
- Proof of reaching an overall electrical efficiency of at least 80 %LHV (ca. 95 %HHV) based on available steam from waste heat
- Reaching a lifetime at stack level of greater than 10,000 h with a degradation rate below 1 %/1,000 h
- Elaboration of a viable Exploitation Roadmap while showing the feasibility of future cost targets
