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Kobe Steel KR R/A steel announced on July 16th that it has completed a demonstration test of its liquid hydrogen "Open Rack Vaporizer" (ORV) at Takasago Steelworks in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The test was completed in March 2024. ORV is a device that vaporizes liquefied gases using seawater as a heat source. The successful experiment is considered an important breakthrough in promoting the large-scale application of low-carbon/renewable hydrogen in steel production and reducing operating costs.
Kobe Steel stated that this experiment achieved stable performance of the liquid hydrogen vaporization equipment during continuous operation, meeting the established gas flow rate and temperature targets, providing support for subsequent combustion testing of hydrogen in industrial heating furnaces, and also providing a solution for replacing high carbon fuels and reducing CO ₂ emissions in industrial furnaces.
It is reported that Kobe Steel KR R/A steel has the ability to develop three types of liquid hydrogen vaporizer products and plans to officially launch them to the market. The company stated that this successful validation will help expand hydrogen related business opportunities and demonstrate full process capabilities from hydrogen production to utilization.
According to its Medium Term Business Plan (2024-2026 fiscal year), Kobe Steel is actively promoting hydrogen energy technology research and industrialization layout, strengthening profitability, and accelerating carbon neutrality transformation. In the future, the company will continue to explore more hydrogen application scenarios based on this demonstration facility.
In addition to hydrogen energy layout, Kobe Steel is also promoting low-carbon aluminum materials. Starting from 2024, the company will provide Nissan with extrusion and suspension products using low-carbon aluminum materials to expand its green supply chain layout.
At present, major steel companies in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, have set carbon neutrality targets and plan to gradually achieve them between 2045 and 2060. Kobe Steel's hydrogen energy layout is KR R/A steel in sync with the regional decarbonization trend.
