Hydrogen furnace in final testing

The Materials Processing Institute's low-carbon furnace has reached its final commissioning phase.

The bespoke multi-fuel bogie hearth furnace, manufactured by Therser UK, is said to heat up to 5t of material and operate using hydrogen, hydrogen/natural gas blends, and other low-carbon fuels.

The MPI say the furnace is currently undergoing refractory drying at its Teesside site and will then be available to industry as a pilot-scale demonstrator.

Operating at temperatures of up to 1300°C, the multi-fuel bogie hearth furnace has sensing and control systems to provide vital operational data that can inform investment decisions.

'It offers a unique platform for testing, validating, and de-risking hydrogen and fuel switching technologies,' says MPI CEO Terry Walsh.

It is funded by ECONOMISER 2, a UK Research and Innovation programme being delivered by the Foundation Industry Sustainability Consortium.