SSAB participating in EU project to promote hydrogen gas in industry – Steel

WINGHY, a project co-funded by the EU, mainly aims to introduce hydrogen as a fuel to replace natural gas in reheating furnaces in the steel sector. The project will develop a digital twin to control furnace behavior and optimize operations. The technology can be useful in more of SSAB’s different processes.

The Nippon Gases offices in Madrid hosted the 4th General Assembly of the Twinghy project in October 2024.

The project started in 2023, and will continue for three years. The project has a total budget of over EUR 8 million and has nine participating companies or organizations. Half of the total budget is funded by the EU and the rest by the participating companies and organizations.

The objective of the project is to explore the use of hydrogen as a viable alternative to traditional natural gas combustion in reheating furnaces in the steel sector. By developing a digital twin, a virtual copy of the physical system, the project aims to simulate and optimize the hydrogen combustion process. By combining simulation and experimentation, the project aims to provide a deeper understanding of how the technology performs, safety aspects and environmental impact, to facilitate informed decision-making and promote the transition to sustainable energy practices. The project also looks at oxygen, so-called oxyfuel combustion. The use of pure oxygen as a substitute for combustion air significantly reduces energy demand and increases reheating? furnace efficiency. Oxygen is also the other product obtained when producing hydrogen in the electrolysis of water, the most likely method for hydrogen production for Sweden.

SSAB is participating in Twinghy through Carl Ellström, who currently works in process development on the rolling side in Oxelösund. Jonas Engdahl from Borlänge joins him in the project.