The GrInHy2.0 high-temperature electrolyser is the largest of its kind in the world. It was successfully tested for the first time in an industrial environment at the end of 2020. Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of the EU funding provider 'Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking' (FCH JU), visited Salzgitter on July 14, 2021 to learn more about the GrInHy2.0 electrolyser and the current project status.
GrInHy2.0 was launched in 2019 as a follow-up project to the successfully completed GrInHy project ('Green Industrial
Hydrogen'). With green hydrogen, produced by water vapor from waste heat sources and renewable electricity by means of high-temperature electrolysis, steel can be produced without CO in the long term2emissions. The project is part of the future decarbonisation of the steel industry. Members of the consortium are the project partners Salzgitter Flachstahl, Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, Sunfire, Paul Wurth, Tenova and the French research institution CEA.
The project is not only an important milestone towards decarbonisation for the steel industry - from the EU's point of view, GrInHy2.0 also makes a significant contribution to achieving the ambitious European goal of a climate-neutral economy by 2050.
The project lays an important foundation for the ramp-up of the electrolysis market and thus for the production of green hydrogen in Europe. 'The ambitious GrinHy2.0 project proves that green hydrogen can make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of sectors that are difficult to electrify. We are proud that European players are leaders in the field of high-temperature electrolysis (HTE) and that the FCH JU funding has enabled the demonstration of the world's largest high-temperature electrolyser to date,' said Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of FCH JU.
The high-temperature electrolyser was developed and produced by the Dresden electrolysis company Sunfire.
Based on the innovative solid oxide cell technology (SOEC), the plant already uses industrially available waste heat and runs at a temperature of 850 -degreeC. As a result, the electrolyser is significantly more efficient than other technologies available on the market - it requires significantly less electricity to produce one kilogram of green hydrogen. 'For Sunfire, GrInHy2.0 is an important demonstration project that demonstrates our innovative electrolysis technology in an industrial environment. GrInHy2.0 marks a further step towards the decarbonisation of industries such as the steel industry, which are still very dependent on fossil raw materials today,' emphasizes Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire.
The GrInHy2.0 electrolyser is part of the transformation project 'SALCOS' SA lzgitter L ow CO
2-Steelmaking) to CO2-poor steel production. For the installation of the electrolysis system, a large part of the required infrastructure was already available on site - from the waste heat to the hydrogen pipeline and the green power supply. In December 2020, a significant milestone of the project was reached with the electrolyser's first successful hydrogen production. Since then, the green hydrogen has been fed directly into the steel mill's hydrogen gas network. As of now, 15 tons of the green hydrogen have already been used in SZFG's annealing processes and galvanizing plants for steel finishing. 'The steel industry can make an enormous contribution to the decarbonisation of industry. The availability of green hydrogen is crucial. With GrInHy2.0, we are testing an innovative, energy-efficient approach in industrial reality,' says Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter AG and Board Member of Hydrogen Europe.
The project partners have set themselves the goal of achieving a nominal production rate of 200 Nm-3 of hydrogen per hour by the end of the
year. In addition, the system should have been in operation for at least 13,000 hours by the end of 2022 and be able to demonstrate plant availability of more than 95%. Overall, the high-temperature electrolyser should produce a hydrogen volume of at least 100 tons over this period and demonstrate an electrical efficiency of greater than 84 % LHV.
About Salzgitter
With more than 7 million tons p.a. of crude steel capacity, more than 24,000 employees and external sales of around EUR 7 billion in fiscal year 2020, the Salzgitter Group is one of Europe's leading steel and technology companies. It is one of the largest steel producers in Europe and the world market leader in the field of large-diameter pipes. The Group operates state-of-the-art and resource-efficient production facilities in Germany and abroad. It consists of more than 150 subsidiaries and associated companies and, under the leadership of Salzgitter AG, is subdivided as a holding company into the five business units Flat Steel, Heavy Plate/Section Steel, Mannesmann, Trading and Technology.
The product range includes flat steel products in many variants, beams, heavy plates as well as seamless and welded tubes in all dimensions. Salzgitter AG also manufactures processed products for the automotive and construction industries. The Technology division comprises several specialist machine construction companies, including one of the world's leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries.
For more information, see https://www.salzgitter-ag.com
About Sunfire
Founded in 2010, Sunfire GmbH is a leading global electrolysis company that develops and produces industrial electrolysers based on alkali and solid oxide (SOEC) technologies. With its electrolysis solutions, Sunfire addresses the central challenge of today's energy system: the provision of green hydrogen and e-fuels from renewable electricity, water and CO2 as a climate-neutral substitute for fossil energy. Sunfire's innovative and proven electrolysis technologies enable the decarbonization of industrial sectors that are still dependent on oil, gas or coal today. The company employs more than 250 people at locations in Germany, Norway and Switzerland.
For more information, see www.sunfire.de
About Paul Wurth
Headquartered in Luxembourg, the Paul Wurth Group has been an established technology provider to the global iron and steel industry since its foundation in 1870. Paul Wurth is a leading supplier for the planning and construction of complete blast furnace and coke oven plants. Direct reduction plants, environmental protection solutions and recycling technologies round off Paul Wurth's product portfolio. Currently, the company is focused on developing innovative solutions to lead the decarbonization of the metal industry. With more than 1500 employees, Paul Wurth operates worldwide and operates branches and subsidiaries in the most important iron and steel regions of the world.
For more information, see www.paulwurth.com
About Tenova
Tenova, a Techint Group company, is a global partner for innovative, reliable and sustainable solutions in the metal and mining industries. Tenova, including its TAKRAF subsidiaries, has more than 2,500 forward-thinking professionals in 19 countries on five continents who design technologies and develop services that help companies reduce costs, save energy, limit environmental impact and improve working conditions.
For more information, see www.tenova.com
About CEA
CEA is a French public research organization working in four main areas: energy transition (nuclear and renewable), digital transformation for industry, future health technologies, defense and security. Based on excellent basic research, with its 20,000 employees and its research centres with impressive infrastructures, the CEA is an important player in European research. The CEA-Liten Institute, which employs 1,000 people, is intensively dedicated to researching new technologies for renewable energies and energy efficiency. It is involved in various national and EU research and demonstration projects dealing with high-temperature electrolysers and/or fuel cells (SOEC/SOFC) and their integration into the electrical system in the presence of major renewable energy sources.
For more information, see www.liten.cea.fr
About Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is a public-private partnership in which European industry, research and science (represented by Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research) and the EU (represented by the European Commission) work together to accelerate the adoption of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. The FCH JU supports a wide range of projects that help to put the EU at the forefront of research and innovation, communicate the benefits of technology to citizens and strengthen the competitiveness of industry.
Contact:
Phone: +49 5341 21-01
Fax: +49 5341 21-2727
SALZGITTER AG 
