Iron and steel is an energy intensive industry and its contribution to the pollution of environment is considerable. Direct reduction iron (DRI) is a major element of an iron and steel production plant. Its share in natural gas and electricity consumption of total plant is estimated to be 70% and 15% respectively. Reduction gases are produced in natural gas reforming unit and its elements are CO and H2. A major consequence of using this technology is high level of CO2 emission, which pollutes the environment. An alternative to the existing technology is utilization of H2 as reducing agent. A comparison of various hydrogen production processes indicate that thermal decomposition of methane provides an attractive option from economical and technical point of view. Therefore, a system for producing hydrogen, based on thermal decomposition technique, has been designed in the framework of the present paper.

Keywords: THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF METHANE, HYDROGEN PRODUCTION, MIDREX CARBON