Constellium successfully completed its first industrial-scale hydrogen casting at C-TEC, Constellium’s primary R&D center. This casting was performed in a 12-ton furnace following strict internal procedures. Quality monitoring, including the use of Batscan technology, an inclusion detection tool for molten aluminum, was conducted and no quality impact from hydrogen combustion on metal was observed.

Developed by Constellium and marketed by STAS, Batscan is a tool for quality monitoring and process improvement in the aluminum industry. It uses control ultrasound transmitted through inert ceramic waveguides immersed in the liquid aluminum to detect inclusions, providing a highly accurate and reliable method of assessing molten metal quality.

Batscan can monitor molten metal quality throughout the entire casting process, from start to finish, detecting inclusions as small as 35 microns, for a proportion of the metal being cast of approximately 2%. This level of monitoring is 1,000 times greater than that of the LiMCA (the incumbent technology across aluminum casthouses), making Batscan a significant advancement in the field, providing a more comprehensive analysis of the molten metal’s quality.

The 12-ton aluminum slab produced using hydrogen will be further processed at the Neuf-Brisach site in France for use in electric vehicles.

Constellium is actively involved in various multi-stakeholder projects aimed at advancing hydrogen technologies for industrial decarbonization. One notable initiative is HyInHeat (Hydrogen technologies for decarbonization of industrial heating processes), a European Union-funded project exploring the substitution of natural gas with hydrogen in aluminum and steel transformation processes.

In addition to its focus on hydrogen, Constellium is exploring alternative decarbonization technologies, including direct electrification solutions compatible with existing furnaces.