Industrial application prospects and key issues of the pure-hydrogen reduction process

Abstract

The industrial application prospect and key issues in basic theory and application are discussed by the methods of theoretical analysis and calculation to promote the development of the pure-hydrogen reduction process. According to the discussion of thermodynamics and kinetics of pure-hydrogen reduction reaction, the reduction reaction of iron oxide by pure hydrogen is an endothermic reaction, and the reaction rate of hydrogen reduction is significantly faster than that of carbon reduction. To explore the feasibility of the industrial applications of pure-hydrogen reduction, we design the hydrogen reduction reactor and process with reference to the industrialized hydrogen-rich reduction process and put forward the methods of appropriately increasing the reduction temperature, pressure, and temperature of iron ore into the furnace to accelerate the reaction rate and promote the reduction of iron oxide. The key technical parameters in engineering applications, such as hydrogen consumption, circulating gas volume, and heat balance, are discussed by theoretical calculations, and the optimized parameter values are proposed. The process parameters, cost, advantages, and disadvantages of various current hydrogen production methods are compared, and the results show that hydrogen production by natural gas reforming has a good development prospect. Through the discussion of the corrosion mechanism of high-temperature and high-pressure hydrogen on heat-resistant steel materials and the corrosion mechanism of H2S in the hydrogen gas on steel, the technical ideas of developing new metal temperature-resistant materials, metal coating materials, and controlling gas composition are put forward to provide guidance for the selection of heater and reactor materials. Finally, the key factors affecting the smooth operation of the hydrogen reduction process in engineering applications are analyzed, offering a reference for the industrial application of the pure-hydrogen reduction process.