30 September 2026
The schwartz group and Forschungszentrum Jülich today unveiled a demonstration plant in Simmerath designed to test the use of hydrogen in high-temperature industrial processes. The demonstration plant was developed within the Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster (HC-H2).
Special heat treatment processes are required to specifically alter the shape and hardness of metals These processes are central to the press hardening of car body parts, for example. Metal blanks are heated to over 900 °C in a process that requires a lot of energy. The process heat required is typically generated by burning fossil fuel gases, which produces large quantities of CO2 emissions.
This is where HyHeat comes in: with the plant already in operation, the schwartz group and Forschungszentrum Jülich are demonstrating the technical feasibility of switching between fossil fuel gas and hydrogen in such high-temperature processes. This is a major step forward on the path to market readiness.
Reducing CO₂ emissions from process heat
The CO2 savings potential of replacing fossil fuel gases with hydrogen is huge: a heat treatment plant for press hardening generates some 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. In MyHeat, the partners are showing a way of making this step in automobile production more climate-friendly.
The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is funding the project with € 1.7 million out of a total volume of € 2.44 million.
Flexibly integrating hydrogen into existing processes
Today, around 80 percent of all press-hardened automotive body parts worldwide are heated in heat treatment plants manufactured by the schwartz group. The demonstration plant developed in the HyHeat project will show how hydrogen can be flexibly integrated as a fuel gas into the existing processes.
"We are using the plant to test transitioning to hydrogen without interrupting operations. By blending in hydrogen and allowing for a seamless changeover between fuel gases, even small initial quantities of available hydrogen can be utilized," says Philipp Morsch from the Institute for a sustainable Hydrogen Economy (IHE-4) at Forschungszentrum Jülich who is coordinating the scientific monitoring of HC-H2.
The demonstration plant, located where schwartz GmbH has its headquarters in Simmerath, is one part of an industrial heat treatment plant. The core technical components are innovative multi-fuel burners developed by schwartz subsidiary Econova GmbH. The first tests earlier this year confirmed that the demonstration plant can be run on hydrogen. Switching seamlessly between different fuel gases was also successfully demonstrated. This flexibility is particularly important as long as hydrogen is not readily available everywhere.
Next step: optimization of the whole system
The next step for research work will be to optimize the whole system. The control system will be further developed to ensure that optimal operating conditions are achieved regardless of the fuel gas used - hydrogen, natural gas, or propane.
Scaling up to an industrial scale presents yet another challenge: industrial heat treatment plants use several burners that must be synchronized with one another. The demonstration plant allows the engineers at schwartz GmbH to analyse these interactions under real-world conditions. The demonstration plant is a preliminary stage for a possible larger heat treatment plant on an industrial scale.
"It is crucial for our customers that they can invest in a plant today without having to commit to one single energy source. The multi-fuel technology creates the flexibility needed to gradually transition to hydrogen," says Alexander Wilden, owner and CEO of the schwartz group.
"Projects like HyHeat bring the structural transformation of the Rhenish mining area to life and open up future prospects for growth and employment," says Michael Theben, head of the Climate Protection Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. "It is precisely these kinds of concrete projects, carried out in collaboration with local businesses, that bring significant value to the region. We hope to see more projects like this in the near future."
Using waste heat to supply hydrogen
Forschungszentrum Jülich is not just involved in operating burners in the demonstration plant. As part of the HyHeat project, it is also exploring how industrial sites without a hydrogen pipeline could be supplied in future. The focus here is on chemical storage options for hydrogen. Scientists from the Institute for a sustainable Hydrogen Economy (IHE) at Forschungszentrum Jülich use simulations to assess which storage technology is best suited for use in industrial heat treatment plants. A key aspect here is heat integration. In supporting studies, IHE tested whether the heat contained in the exhaust gas can be used for the process of releasing hydrogen from the storage medium.
Statements on the Project
It is crucial for our customers that they can invest in a plant today without having to commit to one single energy source. The multi-fuel technology creates the flexibility needed to gradually transition to hydrogen.Alexander Wilden, owner and CEO of the schwartz group
Burner technology for hydrogen is well researched. The HyHeat project aims to develop a heating concept based on a single burner. Key aspects here include process stability and compliance with safety standards. This is the only way fuel-flexible technology can be deployed on an industrial scale.Dr. Horst Graf von Schweinitz, managing director, econova GmbH
HC-H2 has been designed so that research and application can learn from each other. The experience gained from HyHeat feeds directly into our work at IHE, shaping the research questions we tackle next.Prof. Dr. Peter Wasserscheid, spokesperson for HC-H2
Innovation arises where scientific expertise meets industrial know-how. With the HyHeat project, each side contributes what the other lacks to create a solution that neither could have developed alone.Prof. Dr. Peter Jansens, member of the Board of Directors for Scientific Division II at Forschungszentrum Jülich
With HyHeat, we are demonstrating how an energy-intensive process such as metal processing can be made climate-friendly, predictable, and competitive in the future.Philipp Morsch, project lead HyHeat at Forschungszentrum Jülich
Projects like HyHeat bring the structural transformation of the Rhenish mining area to life and open up future prospects for growth and employment. It is precisely these kinds of concrete projects, carried out in collaboration with local businesses, that bring significant value to the region. We hope to see more projects like this in the near future.Michael Theben, head of the Climate Protection Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
About the Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster
The Helmholtz Cluster for a Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2) is driving structural change in the Rhenish mining area through its research and demonstration projects for a sustainable hydrogen economy. The Institute for a sustainable Hydrogen Economy at Forschungszentrum Jülich forms the core of the cluster. The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia are funding HC-H2 until 2038.
About the demonstration project HyHeat
The HyHeat demonstration project shows how hydrogen can be optimally integrated as a fuel gas into the process of heat treatment. This opens up the possibility of ensuring the production of car body parts and other flat metal components in the future without climate-impacting emissions.
https://hch2.de/en/projects/hyheat/
