In its first 18 months, the H2AL project has made significant progress. The project is on schedule and within budget. Key achievements include:
• Technology Analysis and Safety: A baseline analysis of the technology was completed, and a safety assessment was performed on the demonstration site. A hydrogen bunker and storage area have been defined, and documentation has been submitted to the local fire department for approval. A company has also been identified to ensure the modified furnace receives its CE mark.
• Burner and Refractory Development: A modeling framework for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations was created to help design efficient, low-NOx burners for hydrogen. Experimental testing was performed on refractory materials to study the effects of high-temperature, hydrogen-rich atmospheres, leading to a selection of optimal materials for the furnace. A scaled-down prototype burner (150 kW) with an oscillating flame was successfully designed, built, and tested.
• Full-Scale Implementation: The main process parameters of the demonstration furnace were obtained, and a 3D model was developed for simulations. Two full-scale 1 MW burners with oscillating flames and their refractory blocks have been designed and constructed, and a pre-demonstration test has been completed.
• Techno-Economic Analysis: An assessment of EU aluminum plants was conducted to gauge their interest in hydrogen. The analysis found that, for now, on-site hydrogen self-production is likely not the most economically viable solution due to current energy costs. The project has also defined "archetypes" of EU aluminum foundries to help with the replication of business models and identified other metallurgical sectors where the project's technology could be used.
