Utilization of hydrogen fuel in reheating furnace and its effect on oxide scale formation of low-carbon steels

The transition from fossil-based fuel to hydrogen combustion in steel reheating furnaces is a possible way to decrease the process-originated CO 2 emissions significantly. This potential change alters the furnace gas atmosphere’s composition, impacting the oxide scale formation of the slab surface. Dynamic heating tests are performed for three low-carbon steels using different simulated combustion atmospheres, including natural gas, coke oven gas, and hydrogen combustion in air, and hydrogen combustion in oxygen. Significant differences are found in the oxidation behavior of steel grades in the simulated hydrogen reheating scenario. A steel grade with low Mn content only has an 18% increase in oxidation between methane-air to hydrogen-oxygen methods, while it is 41% for a high Mn and Si steel grade and 65% for a high-Mn steel grade. Thus, in terms of material loss increase by oxidation, the transition of the heating method causes the least problems for the low-Mn steel grade. • Hydrogen combustion increases water vapor content in the furnace gas atmosphere. • Effect of the hydrogen fuel transition on oxidation is specific for steel grades. • Increase in oxidation was up to 42% by using hydrogen-air combustion atmosphere. • Difference between oxidation of the steel grades decreases using oxyfuel method.