According to the statement, the contract for the new laboratory investment has been awarded to Heat & Power, which previously designed and built a pilot sinter plant for thyssenkrupp Steel. The total value of the project is reported at EUR 2.4 million.
The existing metallurgy laboratory at Schwelgern already provides comprehensive testing capabilities for traditional blast furnace raw materials, including sinter, iron ore pellets, lump ore, and blast furnace coke. With around 2,000 tests conducted annually, the facility serves as a key component of quality assurance across the blast furnace production chain. The new investment will expand this capacity in line with the requirements of hydrogen-based direct reduction.
The direct reduction process differs significantly from the conventional blast furnace route. While blast furnaces operate with carbon monoxide-rich gases at temperatures well above 1,000°C, direct reduction takes place at around or below 1,000°C in a hydrogen-rich gas environment. As a result, the performance of pellets and lump ore must be tested in accordance with ISO standards tailored to direct reduction conditions.
Under the new laboratory setup, the behavior of raw materials in direct reduction conditions will be analyzed in detail, including their tendency to stick or agglomerate during reduction, degradation rates, and reducibility characteristics. Reducibility is particularly critical, as it directly impacts reaction rates and overall plant efficiency.
Marco Richrath stated that the new DR laboratory will enable the analysis of raw materials under realistic hydrogen-based conditions, adding that the results will provide a solid basis for both iron ore quality assessment and the stable and efficient operation of the future direct reduction plant.
The testing environment will be designed to reflect future production conditions. While hydrogen content in blast furnace process gases is currently around 2%, it has already reached approximately 45% in direct reduction testing. The company plans to gradually adjust testing conditions to higher hydrogen concentrations in line with increasing hydrogen usage. Test furnaces will also allow steam injection, enabling more comprehensive analysis of raw material behavior during reduction.
A key element of the company’s future production strategy is the integrated use of a direct reduction plant with electric remelting furnaces. This approach will allow the use of both DR-grade pellets and conventional blast furnace pellets. The application of specialized slag metallurgy in electric remelting furnaces will enable the removal of impurities in pig iron, providing greater flexibility in raw material sourcing.
The limited systematic testing to date of blast furnace pellets under direct reduction conditions increases the importance of laboratory-based quality assurance. With the new facility, thyssenkrupp Steel aims to carry out these assessments in-house.
Alongside the laboratory investment, the company is also placing emphasis on training programs to enhance employee technical capabilities. Laboratory teams will undergo comprehensive training in the use of new testing equipment, data analysis, and the safe handling of hydrogen-containing gases.
The new DR laboratory is set to become a key infrastructural milestone in thyssenkrupp Steel’s green transformation, supporting the transition to direct reduction and electric melting processes and playing a critical role in adapting the Duisburg production network to climate-friendly steelmaking.
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