# Energy-intensive industry: Equipment and suppliers Blast furnaces, potlines and kilns built to run for years Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/equipment/ What this tab covers For each method, the main pieces of equipment, who makes them (by region) and what they are made of (bill of materials). Each process rests on a few large, long-lived machines: furnaces and converters, electrolytic cells, rotary kilns, reactors and compressors. Most of their mass is steel and refractory brick. Provider lists are left empty where no reliable ranking was found. #### Blast furnace and oxygen steel **Blast furnace**^[11](https://expometals.net/en/news/looking-at-the-plant-engineering-market-danieli-primetals-sms-group-id18629) Reduces iron ore with coke to make liquid iron Europe Danieli, SMS group, Primetals Technologies Bill of materials - **Shell and cooling staves**: Steel shell with copper or cast-iron water-cooled staves - **Lining**: Carbon and alumina refractory bricks - **Hot-blast stoves**: Silica and alumina checker bricks **Basic oxygen converter**^[11](https://expometals.net/en/news/looking-at-the-plant-engineering-market-danieli-primetals-sms-group-id18629) Blows oxygen into liquid iron to burn off excess carbon Europe SMS group, Primetals Technologies, Danieli Bill of materials - **Vessel**: Steel shell lined with magnesia-carbon refractory - **Oxygen lance**: Water-cooled copper tip #### Electric arc furnace and hydrogen DRI **Electric arc furnace**^[11](https://expometals.net/en/news/looking-at-the-plant-engineering-market-danieli-primetals-sms-group-id18629)^[16](https://gmk.center/en/news/thyssenkrupp-steel-signed-a-contract-with-sms-group-for-the-construction-of-the-dri-plant/)^[17](https://www.primetals.com/en/news/dillinger-and-rogesa-choose-primetals-technologies-as-supplier-for-major-decarbonization-project/) Melts scrap or DRI with electric arcs Europe Primetals Technologies, SMS group, Danieli Bill of materials - **Electrodes**: Graphite electrodes made from needle coke - **Furnace transformer**: Electrical steel core and copper windings - **Shell and roof**: Water-cooled steel panels, magnesia refractory hearth **Direct reduction shaft furnace**^[4](https://www.midrex.com/insight/world-dri-production-reaches-140-8-mt-in-2024/)^[16](https://gmk.center/en/news/thyssenkrupp-steel-signed-a-contract-with-sms-group-for-the-construction-of-the-dri-plant/)^[20](https://gmk.center/en/news/danieli-selected-as-green-technology-supplier-for-tata-steel-ijmuiden/) Reduces pellets to solid iron with hydrogen or reformed gas at about 800 C United States Midrex Technologies (Kobe Steel group) Europe Tenova and Danieli (Energiron), SMS group Bill of materials - **Reactor shell**: Refractory-lined steel shaft - **Gas heater**: Alloy tubes heating the reducing gas **Water electrolyser**^[21](https://ir-api.eqs.com//media/document/5cf6586c-ca10-433a-9464-0d277fdd9ced/assets/thyssenkrupp_nucera_General_Investor_Presentation_May_2026.pdf) Makes hydrogen; most of the route's electricity Europe thyssenkrupp nucera Bill of materials - **Stack**: Nickel electrodes (alkaline) or iridium and platinum on membranes (PEM) - **Rectifier**: Power electronics converting AC to DC #### Aluminium smelting **Reduction cell (pot) and potline**^[5](https://hydro.com/en/media/news/2020/hydro-karmoy-technology-pilot-successfully-verified) Electrolyses alumina dissolved in molten cryolite Europe Hydro Bill of materials - **Anodes**: Baked petroleum coke and pitch, consumed in use - **Cathode**: Graphitised carbon blocks with steel collector bars - **Busbars**: Aluminium conductors carrying several hundred kA #### Cement kiln **Rotary kiln with preheater tower and precalciner**^[19](https://globalcement.com/news/analysis/9477-supplying-the-cement-industry)^[23](https://www.cemnet.com/News/story/180212/pacific-avenue-capital-partners-relaunch-flsmidth-as-fuller-technologies.html) Calcines raw meal and sinters it into clinker at 1,400-1,500 C Europe and United States Fuller Technologies (formerly FLSmidth Cement) China Sinoma International Engineering (CNBM group) Bill of materials - **Kiln shell**: Rolled steel tube, often 4-6 m diameter - **Lining**: Magnesia-spinel and alumina refractory bricks - **Cyclones**: Steel with refractory lining #### Haber-Bosch ammonia **Steam methane reformer**^[10](https://ammoniaenergy.org/articles/licensor-selection-picking-up-for-renewable-ammonia-synthesis-loops/) Turns natural gas and steam into hydrogen and CO2 Europe Topsoe, thyssenkrupp Uhde, Casale United States KBR Bill of materials - **Reformer tubes**: Centrifugally cast nickel-chromium alloy tubes - **Catalyst**: Nickel on alumina #### Chlor-alkali **Membrane electrolyser**^[6](https://www.electrochem.org/dl/interface/fal/fal14/fal14_p049_055.pdf)^[21](https://ir-api.eqs.com//media/document/5cf6586c-ca10-433a-9464-0d277fdd9ced/assets/thyssenkrupp_nucera_General_Investor_Presentation_May_2026.pdf) Splits brine into chlorine, caustic soda and hydrogen Europe thyssenkrupp nucera (claims about 50% of the membrane electrolysis market) Bill of materials - **Anode**: Titanium coated with ruthenium and iridium oxides (dimensionally stable anode) - **Cathode**: Nickel, often with catalytic coating - **Membrane**: Perfluorinated sulfonate and carboxylate polymer #### Motors and compressed air **Induction motor with variable-speed drive**^[12](https://www.iea-4e.org/emsa/publications/policy-brief-electric-motor-systems-why-are-they-important/) Turns electricity into shaft power; the drive matches speed to demand Bill of materials - **Stator and rotor**: Laminated electrical steel - **Windings and rotor bars**: Copper wire; aluminium or copper cage - **Drive**: IGBT or silicon carbide power electronics **Air compressor**^[13](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/Improving%20Compressed%20Air%20Sourcebook%20version%203.pdf) Compresses air for tools and controls Bill of materials - **Screw element**: Machined steel rotors - **Motor**: Electrical steel and copper - **Heat exchangers**: Aluminium or copper coolers #### Sources 1. [World DRI production reaches 140.8 Mt in 2024](https://www.midrex.com/insight/world-dri-production-reaches-140-8-mt-in-2024/) Midrex Technologies, 2025 2. [Hydro Karmoy technology pilot successfully verified](https://hydro.com/en/media/news/2020/hydro-karmoy-technology-pilot-successfully-verified) Norsk Hydro, 2020 3. [Electrochemical Manufacturing in the Chemical Industry (Botte, The Electrochemical Society Interface, Fall 2014)](https://www.electrochem.org/dl/interface/fal/fal14/fal14_p049_055.pdf) The Electrochemical Society, 2014 4. [Licensor selection picking up for renewable ammonia synthesis loops](https://ammoniaenergy.org/articles/licensor-selection-picking-up-for-renewable-ammonia-synthesis-loops/) Ammonia Energy Association, 2024 5. [Looking at the plant engineering market: Danieli, Primetals, SMS group](https://expometals.net/en/news/looking-at-the-plant-engineering-market-danieli-primetals-sms-group-id18629) Expometals (metallurgy trade news), 2017 6. [Policy brief: Electric motor systems, why are they important?](https://www.iea-4e.org/emsa/publications/policy-brief-electric-motor-systems-why-are-they-important/) IEA 4E Electric Motor Systems Annex (EMSA), 2025 7. [Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (third edition)](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/Improving%20Compressed%20Air%20Sourcebook%20version%203.pdf) US Department of Energy and Compressed Air Challenge, 2016 8. [thyssenkrupp Steel signed a contract with SMS group for the construction of the DRI plant](https://gmk.center/en/news/thyssenkrupp-steel-signed-a-contract-with-sms-group-for-the-construction-of-the-dri-plant/) GMK Center, 2023 9. [Dillinger and ROGESA choose Primetals Technologies as supplier for major decarbonisation project](https://www.primetals.com/en/news/dillinger-and-rogesa-choose-primetals-technologies-as-supplier-for-major-decarbonization-project/) Primetals Technologies (company press release), 2024 10. [Danieli selected as green technology supplier for Tata Steel IJmuiden](https://gmk.center/en/news/danieli-selected-as-green-technology-supplier-for-tata-steel-ijmuiden/) GMK Center, 2024 11. [thyssenkrupp nucera General Investor Presentation, May 2026 (company claims)](https://ir-api.eqs.com//media/document/5cf6586c-ca10-433a-9464-0d277fdd9ced/assets/thyssenkrupp_nucera_General_Investor_Presentation_May_2026.pdf) thyssenkrupp nucera, 2026 12. [Pacific Avenue Capital Partners relaunch FLSmidth Cement as Fuller Technologies](https://www.cemnet.com/News/story/180212/pacific-avenue-capital-partners-relaunch-flsmidth-as-fuller-technologies.html) CemNet (International Cement Review), 2025 13. [Supplying the cement industry](https://globalcement.com/news/analysis/9477-supplying-the-cement-industry) Global Cement, 2019 ## Other sections - [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/index.md) - [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/overview/index.md) - [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/correlation/index.md) - [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/science/index.md) - [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/valuechain/index.md) - [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/economics/index.md) - [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/methods/index.md) - [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/links/index.md)