superProDR’s main objective is to enable the European steel industry to operate Direct Reduction (DR) processes at superior productivity and efficiency, even under demanding conditions such as high temperatures, increasing hydrogen shares and low-cost, variable-quality raw materials. By mitigating sticking-related limitations, the project supports the competitive decarbonisation of European steelmaking.

This objective is achieved through a dual strategy combining advanced raw material preparation by tailored pellet coatings with state-of-the-art process monitoring, modelling and digital operation support. The main objective is broken down into the following measurable and verifiable Key Exploitable Results (KERs), fully in line with the SMART principle:

KER 1) Standards – Development of more realistic testing procedures than current standards to rate the risk of sticking for different raw materials and coatings

KER 2) Data – Data from experiments quantifying sticking risks and productivity benefits for different boundary conditions (e.g. gas compositions, raw materials, with no/different coatings) with focus on high temperature levels.

KER 3) Products – Development of tailor-made coatings and coating processes for main raw materials required for DR operation at high temperatures with low-cost raw materials.

KER 4) Models – Simulations able to calculate spatial sticking risk, particle movement and permeability in dependency of actual process states, validated by comprehensive hot and cold trials in different scales.

KER 5) Tools & recommendations – A new level of process monitoring and control, including new measurement concepts and online tools, for operation at high temperature and productivity by early sticking recognition and avoidance.