Tata Steel Initiates Trial For Record-High Hydrogen Gas Injection In Blast Furnace At Its Jamshedpur Works

Mumbai: Tata Steel has commenced the trial injection of hydrogen gas using 40% of the injection systems in ‘E’ Blast Furnace at its Jamshedpur Works. This is the first time in the world that such a large quantity of hydrogen gas is being continuously injected in a blast furnace.

The trial started on April 23, 2023, and is expected to continue for 4-5 days on a continuous basis. It will provide valuable insights into operating blast furnaces with greener fuel injections, reducing fossil fuel consumption and subsequent CO2 emissions from the blast furnace. The endeavour is aligned with the Company’s vision of becoming Net Zero by 2045.

The trial has the potential to reduce the coke rate by 10%, translating into around 7-10% reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of crude steel produced.

The successful completion of this trial will demonstrate Tata Steel’s capability to design, fabricate and commission the injection system, develop and establish necessary general and process safety protocols, and provide process control insight for pure hydrogen injection into the blast furnace.

“The trial of hydrogen gas injection in a blast furnace at Jamshedpur Works is an important milestone in our journey towards nets zero emissions. As we explore the potential of greener fuel injectants, we are excited to see the impact it can have on reducing fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. We are confident that this trial will provide valuable insights into operating blast furnaces with hydrogen and help us identify the next steps towards achieving our goal of a leaner carbon future,” said Uttam Singh, Vice President, of Iron Making, Tata Steel.

For a long time, hydrogen has been earmarked as an alternative to fossil fuels as an important reductant of iron ore in blast furnaces. Given the imperative to make industrial processes greener, hydrogen fuel utilisation is gaining a lot of traction and is being embraced on a scale like never before.