Direct reduction pilot plant at thyssenkrupp Steel
Research into hydrogen-based steel production: The VDEh Industrial Research Institute has awarded a contract for the construction of a direct reduction pilot plant for various processes at the thyssenkrupp site in Duisburg-Nord. The research objective is to achieve climate-neutral pig iron production using hydrogen and to optimise operating parameters for thyssenkrupp Steel’s direct reduction plant, which is currently under construction.
TS Elino, a plant engineering firm based in Düren, is to construct a direct reduction pilot plant, including the associated auxiliary equipment, at thyssenkrupp Steel’s Duisburg-Nord site. The client is the VDEh Institute for Industrial Research. The project aims to advance research into the direct reduction of iron ore. The contract value for the demonstration-scale direct reduction plant amounts to around 10 million euros and forms part of the ‘Reallabore der Energiewende’ (Real-world Laboratories for the Energy Transition) project H2Stahl, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Through the construction and experimental operation of a direct reduction pilot plant, the consortium partners thyssenkrupp Steel and the VDEh Institute for Industrial Research (BFI, project coordination) are testing the technological leap towards hydrogen-based, climate-neutral pig iron production.
Flexible research tool: Innovative direct reduction pilot plant with high variability
The planned plant, standing approximately 40 metres tall, will be capable of simulating various direct reduction processes and will thus offer maximum flexibility for research into direct reduction. Equipped with state-of-the-art measurement, monitoring and control technology, the plant enables the use of various reduction gases such as hydrogen, natural gas and the mixed gases produced during steelmaking. As it is not tied to a specific direct reduction process, the facility can be operated on a technology-neutral basis using various feedstocks such as pellets, lump ore and recycled materials. The pilot plant will have a capacity of 100 kg/h of directly reduced iron and will be connected to the utilities and infrastructure of the nearby Carbon2Chem technical centre.
Test campaigns for the optimisation and simulation of industrial plants
The BFI is coordinating the project and is responsible for operating the pilot plant; the first test campaigns are planned for early 2026. This will enable future operating points to be optimised through trials and the integration of the plant into the process network of a steelworks to be simulated even before the industrial-scale plant, which is currently under construction, is commissioned. In addition to CO₂ savings, product quality and plant performance, the research aims to provide insights into plant handling and safety. The trials are accompanied by simulations and specialised investigations on reduction plants at the pilot plant of the VDEh Operational Research Institute in Düsseldorf, which enables research to be conducted at various scales (pilot plant, direct reduction test plant, industrial plant). The pilot plant makes an important contribution to the industrial implementation of hydrogen-based direct reduction.
The BFI offers tailor-made innovations across the entire steel production process chain, from raw materials to the end product. Key areas include CO₂ reduction and energy efficiency, process and process chain optimisation, the circular economy, and Industry 4.0 and measurement technology. The BFI provides scientific support for the transformation of the steel industry in close collaboration with industry and policymakers. This includes activities involving the experimental and simulation-based investigation of technologies as part of publicly funded research projects, as well as participation in initiatives such as IN4climate.NRW and scientific work within SCI4climate.NRW.
Source: thyssenkrupp steel