Snam in first test for steel gas/hydrogen blend

Snam has carried out the first test of a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking, working with partners RINA and the GIVA Group.

The three Italian companies announced via a press release on May 19, 2021, that they had carried out the first test for the use of a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend to heat the furnaces of the Forgiatura A. Vienna plant in Rho, Milan, Italy. This test was a result of about a full year of studies and laboratory testing.

As one of the leading international companies in energy infrastructure, Snam was the promoter and developer of this landmark project. Multinational company Rina, which focuses on inspection, certification and engineering consultancy, was in charge of the engineering analysis and laboratory phase. GIVA Group, owner of several steelmaking facilities, enabled its Forgiatura A. Vienna plant for the field test.

The blend itself was supplied by Italian company Sapio, which specialises in the production and marketing of industrial and medical gases. The use of the natural gas and hydrogen blend did not require any plant modifications and had no impact on the industrial burners or on the final heat-treated product.

“In the medium to long term, hydrogen is in a position to become the solution for decarbonizing steelmaking as well as hard-to-abate industrial sectors that have a fundamental role in our economy,” Marco Alverà, CEO of Snam, said in the press release.

“This trial is a preparatory step to the introduction of zero-emission hydrogen, initially blended with natural gas and then in pure form, in certain steelmaking production processes.”

The three companies are invested in creating a national hydrogen supply chain in Italy that can assist in reaching the Paris Agreement targets. This project itself has a significant impact on the environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness of energy-intensive industries such as steelmaking.

Eventually, the use of 30% green hydrogen blend, powered by renewables, on the total gas consumption of GIVA Group’s three steelmaking plants would lead to a significant reduction of CO2 emissions in the order of 15,000 tonnes per year, or EUR 800,000 per year in certificates purchase.

Moreover, given that steel is ultimately used in the pipelines used for hydrogen transportation, the strategy itself would end up strengthening the general hydrogen economy and its role in energy-intensive industries such as iron and steel.