Periodic Reporting for period 1 - H2GLASS (advancing Hydrogen (H2) technologies and smart production systems TO decarbonise the GLass and Aluminium SectorS)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2024-06-30
The glass industry will have to be completely decarbonised in the next 30 years. The lifetime of a glass furnace is about 12-15 years1. So it is urgent to start innovating because the year 2050 is only 2 furnaces away. H2GLASS aims to create the technology stack that glass manufacturers need to (a) realise 100% H2 combustion in their production facilities, (b) ensure the required product quality, and (c) manage this safely. H2GLASS will address the challenges related to NOx emissions and high flame propagation speed, process efficiency, and supply of H2 for on-site demonstrations. Digital Twin techniques will be critical for risk-based predictive maintenance, optimised production control, and combustion system control. H2 will be supplied by a portable electrolyser co-funded by the industrial demonstrators, and the oxygen produced will be reused in the process. The H2GLASS technologies and design solutions will be validated up to TRL 7 on 5 industrial demonstrators from 3 segments (container glass, flat glass and glass fibre), which together represent 98% of the current glass production in the EU. The expertise of partners such as SH, PTML, OCV and SG representing the State Of The Art (SOTA) in the use of H2 in the glass process will be an asset for the H2GLASS Consortium. A demonstrator for the aluminium industry (HYDRO) will prove the transferability of the basic solutions and underlying models to energy-intensive industries that have similarities with the glass manufacturing process, thus strengthening the impact of the project. In EU the Glass and Aluminium industries employ >400.000 people in Europe, generate > 3.5B€ and emit ca.21.5 Mt CO2e. The innovations generated by H2GLASS will potentially create 10.000 new jobs and unlock 1 - 5B€ revenues for glass technology deployment, >17B investments and 200.000 new jobs for green H2, and cut emissions by ca.80%.
Expected outcomes:
EO1: Significant reduction of CO2 emissions of the industrial process, whilst keeping NOx levels at least not higher than the equivalent gas-based solutions
EO2: Improved energy efficiency of the industrial process; significant reduction of H2 fuel needs of the developed process with regards to the current fossil fuel needs
EO3: Competitiveness of the developed technologies
EO4: Contributing to acceptance of the civil society for use of H2 for decarbonisation of the industry
Objectives:
OBJ1: Technically enabling the replacement of fossil fuels by H2 to heat furnaces
OBJ2: manage and control the new type of combustion
OBJ3: improve overall efficiency of the industrial process
OBJ4: develop the required IT Infrastructure solutions to support automation and digitalisation
OBJ5: validate the H2GLASS solutions in relevant industrial context (TRL7)
OBJ6: Prove the economic and environmental viability of the H2GLASS solutions in comparison to other alternatives
OBJ7: Preparing future commercial exploitation of technologies demonstrated within the project, and ensuring appropriate IP
OBJ8: ensure public acceptance for implementation in local communities and allow citizens of all sexes and ages to increase own capabilities for future actions
Expected outcomes:
EO1: Significant reduction of CO2 emissions of the industrial process, whilst keeping NOx levels at least not higher than the equivalent gas-based solutions
EO2: Improved energy efficiency of the industrial process; significant reduction of H2 fuel needs of the developed process with regards to the current fossil fuel needs
EO3: Competitiveness of the developed technologies
EO4: Contributing to acceptance of the civil society for use of H2 for decarbonisation of the industry
Objectives:
OBJ1: Technically enabling the replacement of fossil fuels by H2 to heat furnaces
OBJ2: manage and control the new type of combustion
OBJ3: improve overall efficiency of the industrial process
OBJ4: develop the required IT Infrastructure solutions to support automation and digitalisation
OBJ5: validate the H2GLASS solutions in relevant industrial context (TRL7)
OBJ6: Prove the economic and environmental viability of the H2GLASS solutions in comparison to other alternatives
OBJ7: Preparing future commercial exploitation of technologies demonstrated within the project, and ensuring appropriate IP
OBJ8: ensure public acceptance for implementation in local communities and allow citizens of all sexes and ages to increase own capabilities for future actions
The critical path of the project is made of the electrolyser delivery and commissioning at the several sites, completion of the permitting process (again, at every site), readiness of every site for the trials.
The project has completed the first two milestones on time (MS1 “Initiation and set up” and MS2 “Design Input review”) and passed a complex phase for the identification of the electrolyser supplier and to undertake the procurement of the electrolyser. The procurement of the electrolyser was particularly challenging due to the market status (high demand for electrolysers while suppliers are mainly startups in a scale up phase) and the risks connected with the transportation of the electrolyser and its operations in five different countries.
Originally, the project plan was based on the assumption that the IDs would jointly provide funds for the procurement of the electrolyzer. However, the allocation of ownership of an asset to these five different entities is not directly feasible under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) guidelines. To solve this problem, the industrial demonstrators (IDs) agreed that Steklarna would take over the procurement of the electrolyzer and assume the role of owner and buyer. Steklarna also acts as the lessor of the electrolyzer for the other industrial demonstrators. Consequently, both the project budget and the resulting measures had to be adjusted by means of an Addendum to the Consortium Agreement to take these developments into account.
Thanks to the successful completion of the Addendum, Steklarna, acting on behalf of the Consortium, has signed at the end of September the purchase order with the identified supplier (Cummins).
Other remarkable results:
- preliminary tests with hydrogen supplied in cylinders by trucks at Steklarna Hrastnik’s premises were successfully executed at the end of November, preceded by the issuance of the safety plan;
- all the demonstration sites have engaged in design, procurement and permitting activities for the following trials tests (other two with H2 in bottles, then six with hydrogen from the electrolyser)
- the team has been very engaged in dissemination and communication activities; website, newsletter, and communication material have been prepared and delivered, four presentations in public events have been held (among the others, Women in H2 in Germany and Process4Planet Panel projects in Brussels), two (2) PhDs female have been hired by the academic partner NTNU, two (2) papers have been accepted, on Risk-based maintenance, presented in November 2023 for the Conference HAZARDS33 in Birmingham.
The project has completed the first two milestones on time (MS1 “Initiation and set up” and MS2 “Design Input review”) and passed a complex phase for the identification of the electrolyser supplier and to undertake the procurement of the electrolyser. The procurement of the electrolyser was particularly challenging due to the market status (high demand for electrolysers while suppliers are mainly startups in a scale up phase) and the risks connected with the transportation of the electrolyser and its operations in five different countries.
Originally, the project plan was based on the assumption that the IDs would jointly provide funds for the procurement of the electrolyzer. However, the allocation of ownership of an asset to these five different entities is not directly feasible under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) guidelines. To solve this problem, the industrial demonstrators (IDs) agreed that Steklarna would take over the procurement of the electrolyzer and assume the role of owner and buyer. Steklarna also acts as the lessor of the electrolyzer for the other industrial demonstrators. Consequently, both the project budget and the resulting measures had to be adjusted by means of an Addendum to the Consortium Agreement to take these developments into account.
Thanks to the successful completion of the Addendum, Steklarna, acting on behalf of the Consortium, has signed at the end of September the purchase order with the identified supplier (Cummins).
Other remarkable results:
- preliminary tests with hydrogen supplied in cylinders by trucks at Steklarna Hrastnik’s premises were successfully executed at the end of November, preceded by the issuance of the safety plan;
- all the demonstration sites have engaged in design, procurement and permitting activities for the following trials tests (other two with H2 in bottles, then six with hydrogen from the electrolyser)
- the team has been very engaged in dissemination and communication activities; website, newsletter, and communication material have been prepared and delivered, four presentations in public events have been held (among the others, Women in H2 in Germany and Process4Planet Panel projects in Brussels), two (2) PhDs female have been hired by the academic partner NTNU, two (2) papers have been accepted, on Risk-based maintenance, presented in November 2023 for the Conference HAZARDS33 in Birmingham.