Projectdetails
Omschrijving
Steelmaking contributes to about 8% of the yearly anthropogenic CO2 emissions. A large part of that is caused by the reduction of iron oxides (magnetite Fe3O4 or hematite Fe2O3), to metallic iron. The reduction process is usually carbon based, using either coke or syngas and mostly releasing CO2 as the byproduct.
To address the enormous CO2 emissions of the steel industry, iron ore reduction is expected to move to hydrogen as the reduction agent eventually. As existing processes need to be replaced or at least modified to work with hydrogen, there is tremendous opportunity for innovation, making the reduction faster, more energy efficient, or compatible with intermittent energy sources. At the same time, cyclic oxidation and reduction of metals has also emerged as an attractive solution for energy storage, with a completely different set of requirements for the reduction.
Hydrogen-containing plasmas are currently being explored as an attractive option for providing energy for the reduction process. Plasmas are inherently compatible with intermittent energy sources, since they can be ignited almost instantaneously and provide volumetric gas heating, allowing for quick temperature adjustments. Non-equilibrium plasmas have also long been claimed to possess advantages in terms of activation energy, process kinetics and possible energy efficiency due to the active species produced by the plasma. Among these, hydrogen ions and atoms seem to play a particularly important role.
However, the advantages of hydrogen plasmas have not been sufficiently quantified in the literature. As most experiments do not measure the fluxes of hydrogen atoms or ions, reaction rates have not been obtained and the rate limiting step remains unknown for most conditions.
The aim of this project is to quantify the importance of the different plasma species by setting up a well-controlled experiment. Measurements of fluxes towards the surface are combined with material characterization to assess the reduction progress and deliver insight into the rate limiting step.
To address the enormous CO2 emissions of the steel industry, iron ore reduction is expected to move to hydrogen as the reduction agent eventually. As existing processes need to be replaced or at least modified to work with hydrogen, there is tremendous opportunity for innovation, making the reduction faster, more energy efficient, or compatible with intermittent energy sources. At the same time, cyclic oxidation and reduction of metals has also emerged as an attractive solution for energy storage, with a completely different set of requirements for the reduction.
Hydrogen-containing plasmas are currently being explored as an attractive option for providing energy for the reduction process. Plasmas are inherently compatible with intermittent energy sources, since they can be ignited almost instantaneously and provide volumetric gas heating, allowing for quick temperature adjustments. Non-equilibrium plasmas have also long been claimed to possess advantages in terms of activation energy, process kinetics and possible energy efficiency due to the active species produced by the plasma. Among these, hydrogen ions and atoms seem to play a particularly important role.
However, the advantages of hydrogen plasmas have not been sufficiently quantified in the literature. As most experiments do not measure the fluxes of hydrogen atoms or ions, reaction rates have not been obtained and the rate limiting step remains unknown for most conditions.
The aim of this project is to quantify the importance of the different plasma species by setting up a well-controlled experiment. Measurements of fluxes towards the surface are combined with material characterization to assess the reduction progress and deliver insight into the rate limiting step.
| Status | Actief |
|---|---|
| Effectieve start/einddatum | 1/09/25 → 31/08/29 |
Trefwoorden
- Plasma
- Waterstof
- IJzer oxide
- Waterstof reductie
- Staal
- Ijzer oxide reductie
Vingerafdruk
Verken de onderzoeksgebieden die bij dit project aan de orde zijn gekomen. Deze labels worden gegenereerd op basis van de onderliggende prijzen/beurzen. Samen vormen ze een unieke vingerafdruk.