Oxidation of Carbon Steels in Novel Reheating Conditions: Changes to oxidation Kinetics

As a result of work carried out within HYINHEAT, we are pleased to share the peer-reviewed open-access publication “Oxidation of Carbon Steels in Novel Reheating Conditions: Changes to Oxidation Kinetics”, published in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B.

Abstract

Decarbonising steel production requires new approaches to slab reheating that can reduce the reliance on conventional fossil fuels. This study investigates how three potential low-carbon reheating strategies—hydrogen combustion, oxy-fuel combustion and electrical heating—affect the oxidation behaviour of carbon steels during high-temperature reheating. 

The oxidation behaviour of four carbon steel grades was analysed using a thermogravimetric analyser at temperatures of up to 1250 °C. Seven different gas atmospheres and two dynamic heating profiles were investigated to reproduce different potential reheating conditions. Compared with conventional natural gas–air reheating, hydrogen–air combustion resulted in a moderate increase in scale formation, while oxy-fuel atmospheres produced a substantially greater increase. Simulated electrical heating, on the other hand, generally resulted in lower oxidation.

The results also show that, under oxy-fuel conditions, there was no meaningful difference in oxidation kinetics between pure hydrogen and a 50:50 methane–hydrogen mixture. Reducing the free oxygen concentration from 2.5% to 1.0% decreased oxidation in both methane–air and hydrogen–oxy-fuel conditions, although the effect was considerably stronger for methane–air combustion. Overall, the study provides valuable insight into how future low-carbon reheating technologies could influence steel oxidation, scale formation and material behaviour. 

Authors

Juho Haapakangas, Susanna Airaksinen, Eetu-Pekka Heikkinen, and Timo Fabritius

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