ArcelorMittal to Trial Breakthrough Technology to Boost Decarbonisation in Steelmaking

The HJTB system is expected to drive decarbonisation of steelmaking process and reduce reliance on fossil fuels to create thermal energy.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Through its XCarb Innovation Fund, ArcelorMittal announced that it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Electrified Thermal Solutions, a U.S.-based company. The action is a component of the company's endeavours to support the decarbonisation of the steelmaking process.

Over the last ten years, Electrified Thermal has developed a patented technique for thermal energy storage and electric heating.

ALSO READ:

ArcelorMittal in Talks Over Closure of its Newcastle Mill

ArcelorMittal Announced Supply of Recycled Steel to Underground Railway Project

A stack of firebricks that are both thermally and electrically conductive is housed in an insulated steel container as part of the exclusive Joule Hive Thermal Battery (JHTB) system. The bricks store inexpensive thermal energy at extremely high temperatures through the use of renewable energy. By passing gas or air through the brick channels, the thermal energy that has been stored is subsequently released, heating industrial uses.

It is anticipated that the HJTB system will promote the decarbonisation of the steel industry and lessen dependency on fossil fuels for thermal energy production.

According to a corporate news release, work is presently underway to construct a 1MW commercial demonstration plant at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, with the unit expected to be commissioned in H2 of this year.

The two businesses have also decided to test the technology at ArcelorMittal's GasLab facility in Asturias and investigate the possibility of pilot deployment at the steelmaker's plants.