Tata steel starts hydrogen gas trial in blast furnace at Jamshedpur facility

24 Apr 2023 , 03:31 PM

Tata Steel, Indian steel maker announced on Monday that the company has started trials of hydrogen gas injection at its blast furnace in the company’s flagship plant of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. This move will help the company to reduce metallurgical coke usage and cut carbon emissions.

In a statement, the company said, “Tata Steel has commenced the trial injection of hydrogen gas using 40 per cent of the injection systems in ‘E’ blast furnace at Jamshedpur. This is the first time in the world that such a large quantity of hydrogen gas is being continuously injected in a blast furnace.”

These trials were started on April 23 and will continue for next 4-5 days.

‘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 company, which aims to become net zero by 2045, said.

These trials will reduce the usage of coke by 10%, translating into a 7% to 10% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per ton of crude steel produced, it added.

The trails will help the officials to get insights of operating blast furnaces with greener fuel injectants, reducing fossil fuel consumption and subsequent CO2 emissions from the blast furnace.

‘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, Tata Steel.