Italy-based Tenova, a Techint Group company specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries, has announced that the EU-funded Life H2Reuse project led by a consortium including Tenova and global tube producer DMV, formerly known as Mannesmann Stainless Tubes, will decarbonize the bright annealing process in seamless stainless steel and nickel alloy tube production.
During the bright annealing process, hydrogen is used in high-temperature furnaces to produce high-performance tubes with superior surface quality, corrosion resistance and durability. However, following each production cycle, the hydrogen flares, resulting in significant waste.
The project plans to prevent this by developing two technologies, which will recover the wasted hydrogen from the annealing process and reuse it as fuel in radiant tubes. The technologies, which mark an innovative approach to recover atmospheric gas for reuse in industrial processes, are expected to lead to a significant reduction in carbon footprint, energy consumption and resource waste.
