ArcelorMittal buys hydrogen generators
19 Nov 2013
Industrial gas specialist Air Products today announced it had signed a deal to supply Indian steel giant ArcelorMittal with three hydrogen and one nitrogen generator for a plant in France.
Air Products will provide ArcelorMittal’s operational Saint Chély d’Apcher plant in Southern France with three Prism PHG100 hydrogen gas generators (PHG) and a high-purity Prism GN700 nitrogen generator.
The Prism PHGs convert steam and lighter hydrocarbons, such as methane, into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and provide an alternative source of industrial gas supply to trailers (bulk hydrogen) for supply to customers in remote locations.
As the Saint Chély d’Apcher plant is not suited for the storage of large amounts of gaseous hydrogen, Air Products’ on-site modular concept of three hydrogen generators has proven an attractive alternative.
Hydrogen and nitrogen are used during the heat treatment of grain oriented electrical steels
The system has been designed with flexibility in mind and will operate at the required capacity even when one of the generators is off-line. Each generator can operate at 50% capacity, therefore offering flow rates from 50 Nm3/h up to 300 Nm3/h.
In addition to hydrogen, Air Products is supplying the plant’s nitrogen requirements through a PRISM cryogenic generator using a unique technology of distillation to produce high-purity nitrogen. To ensure continuous supply of the gas, two nitrogen backup storage tanks and four vaporisers have been installed to support the generator.
Both hydrogen and nitrogen are used during the heat treatment of grain oriented electrical steels, which, among other uses, are used in electric engines and wind turbines.
As well as designing, fabricating and installing the entire modular system, Air Products will provide technical support and telemetry to monitor the system.
