Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha announced to have received an order from Nippon Steel for hydrogen generator to verify its hydrogen reduction steelmaking. The hydrogen generator will have an output capacity of 75,000 N㎥/h, the largest one of those which the company has so far supplied. The amount of the order is estimated to be at a scale of several ten billion yen. 　　

Under the subsidization of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development (NEDO) for green innovation (GI), Nippon Steel is proceeding with the technological development of hydrogen reduction steelmaking using hydrogen as reducing agent which replaces coke for blast furnaces in order to make steelmaking process carbon-neutral. 　

To this end, Nipon Steel is planning to verify its hydrogen reducing technology by means of blowing abundant hydrogen into a medium-sized blast furnace of 500㎥ or larger class at East Nippon Steel Works Kimitsu Area. The order for a hydrogen generator received by Mitsubishi Kakoki at this time is intended to be used for the generation of hydrogen for the verification.

The equipment to be delivered this time is a hydrogen generator in use of a steam reforming furnace adopting a system to get hydrogen by means of catalytic combustion of hydrocarbons like natural gas, naphtha or LPG and steam.It is licensed by ICI of UK and the company calls it ICI-type hydrogen generator.

The equipment has so far been supplied in the past for hydrodesulfurization or to the petrochemical industries.

The hydrogen generator to be used for the verification this time is intended to upgrade the output capacity of hydrogen up to 75,000 N㎥/h by means of installing two lines of the system of 37,500 N㎥/h. It will be the record highest output capacity in the company’s history of hydrogen generating systems.

The company also received orders last year for 7 units of hydrogen generator of 300㎥/h for JFE Steel’s methanation facilities used in the blast furnace of carbon-recycle test under the subsidization for the GI project.