In a complementary way, the project HI4S aspires to build and validate a high-temperature filtering system that avoids the usual problems of obstruction of the heat exchangers and that reduces the costs of associated emissions. Likewise, it pursues to develop a system of heat reutilization that is flexible, profitable and sustainable, which allows various ways of operation and that saves around 37,5 GWh_e/year in the steelworks.

The specific results of the projects, apart from the construction of a validated prototype in an operative industrial setting, will be defined in the obtaining of a trustworthy decision-taking tool for the possible application of this technology in Industries of High-Energy Consumption, and an assessment report of the sustainability that will demonstrate the benefits of the technology taking into account the environmental, economical and social impacts.

Along these lines, the HI4S project foresees the generation of substantial environmental impacts, such as the reduction of CO₂ emissions from the steelworks to 9 Tm/year (which would suppose the 6% of the total emissions of the iron and steel industry), or the decrease of the derivatives, black slag, to 560.000 t/years (10-15% of the total generated by the EU). As a consequence, the reduction of the energy consumption would entail 200 M€/year of savings of emissions, and the recovered energy (37,5 GWh/year) could suppose a saving of 4,9% in the electric consumption of an electric arc furnace.

The project HI4S contributes, additionally, to reinforce the positioning of CIC energiGUNE in the field of thermal storage and management, since it joins to a third solution developed in the center within the framework of the project ORC plus. In this case, it deals with a plant of solar concentration located in Morocco whose objective is to improve the on-demand production capacity of the plant, independent of the availability of sunlight.

Nuria Gisbert, General Manager of CIC energiGUNE has reminded that “in the new context of the Green Deal and PNIEC, the energetic efficiency in the industry is going to be key and the storage and recovering of heat technologies of CIC energiGUNE contribute important advances in this field, that is why we are convinced that these types of thermal storage solutions will entail a recognition to make progress in the objectives of energetic efficiency marked by Europe”.