Hydrogen-fired steam boiler

Hydrogen-fired steam boilers allow you to produce process steam with a considerably lower climate impact than conventional fossil fuels. As a result, they can play an important role in making energy-intensive production environments more sustainable.

The Callens Group specialists guide you through the technical and economic considerations around hydrogen. To do so, we don’t only look at the steam installation itself, but also at the availability and applicability of hydrogen, the safety requirements and the integration into your infrastructure.

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When is a hydrogen-fired steam boiler worthwhile?

For applications with a high heat demand or very high process temperatures, hydrogen can be an attractive alternative to natural gas or electrification.

The technology is especially relevant for energy-intensive sectors such as the chemical sector, the petrochemical sector, refining and steel production, where large amounts of process heat are required and electrification is not always straightforward.

Do you have access to hydrogen, or might you have access to it in the future? In that case, hydrogen would be one way to lower your CO₂ emissions.

Situations where hydrogen can be used for steam production.

  • You want to drastically reduce the CO₂ emissions of your steam production.
  • You have your own hydrogen production.
  • You have access to a hydrogen network or are planning a connection.
  • You’re exploring long-term alternatives to natural gas.
Vynova Tessenderlo ST waterstofbrander 30 T PRJ12171 3
Outputup to 100 MW
Capacity25 kg/h to 150 t/h steam
Design pressure0.5 to 100 barg
Efficiencyup to 99 %

Technical specifications of hydrogen-fired steam boilers

Hydrogen is not a conventional fuel. Its properties differ fundamentally from natural gas: from combustion to storage and safety.

That is why we start every project with a thorough analysis of your:

  • energy consumption
  • steam demand
  • available fuel streams
  • existing infrastructure
  • safety requirements

At the Callens Group, we take all these aspects into account to engineer a safe and reliable steam installation.

benefits

Advantages of a hydrogen-fired steam boiler

Hydrogen is often cited as one of the energy carriers of the future. For industrial heat processes, it opens up opportunities to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Lower CO₂ emissions

Burning hydrogen releases no CO₂. This can significantly reduce the climate impact of your steam production.

Suitable for high temperatures

Hydrogen can be used for industrial processes that require high temperatures and large outputs.

Sustainable alternative to electrification

Hydrogen offers possibilities for applications where full electrification is less of an option, technically or economically.

Fewer fossil fuels

Hydrogen can partly or fully replace natural gas or other fossil fuels to produce process steam.

Perfectly combinable

Hydrogen can be perfectly combined with other technologies such as electric steam boilers, e-boilers, CHP units and heat pumps.

Further energy optimization

Because the flue gases contain more water vapor, the dew point is significantly higher, making energy recovery through condensation both attractive and easy to implement.

How do you prepare your steam plant for hydrogen?

For most companies, the switch to hydrogen happens on a phased basis. It can be done with:

  • hydrogen-ready burners
  • dual-fuel systems that run on either hydrogen or natural gas

This way, you retain flexibility while being well prepared for new developments.

The Callens Group specialists map out the technical, operational and safety aspects and advise you on the best approach to your situation.

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Vynova Tessenderlo ST waterstofbrander 30 T PRJ12171 1
Callens Service Onderhoud 3

Maintenance of your hydrogen-fired steam boiler and 24/7 service

The Callens Group’s maintenance and service team makes sure your installation keeps performing at its best, even after commissioning. With an in-house team of more than 120 service and maintenance technicians, we schedule preventive maintenance in line with the legal and technical requirements of your installation.

You can also count on fast support whenever an unexpected breakdown occurs. Thanks to our 24/7 on-call service, an extensive range of spare parts and the expertise of our service technicians, we carry out interventions quickly and effectively.

Even the best maintained installation can malfunction or shut down unexpectedly. That is why the Callens Group offers various service packages, tailored to the response time and support you need. So even in unforeseen situations, you can count on our expertise.

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partnership

Why partner with Callens Group?

60 years of experience in EPCS projects

An independent integrator focused on your specific needs

Flexible project execution

Short decision-making lines and a personal approach

Unique service & maintenance support

With 13 locations, always close by

Schermafbeelding 2026 08 28 100631
“Maximizing energy efficiency doesn’t start with choosing a technology, but with mapping out your environment and goals.”

Projects with hydrogen-fired steam installations

Callens Vynova stoomketel waterstof 1
Thermal technology Hydrogen-fired Valorizing waste flows +2

Hydrogen fires 60 tons of sustainable steam per hour

Capacity2 x 30 ton/h
Design pressure16 barg
Fuelhydrogen, natural gas, combination
CO2-reduction10.000 ton/year
Beschikbare hoeveelheid H2> 1.200 kg/h
Callens stoom 1
Thermal technology Hydrogen-fired CO2 reduction +1

Steam boiler feels the heat of hydrogen

Capacity25 T/h
Design pressure25 barg

What is your challenge?

 We’ll find a solution. With more than 400 experts in-house, no question goes unanswered.

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Questions? We have the answers.

The operating principle is similar: a burner heats water to produce process steam. The main difference lies in the fuel. As the burning of hydrogen releases no CO₂, you can make your industrial steam production more sustainable. Curious what impact hydrogen could have on your CO₂ emissions? Our experts will be happy to fill you in.

That will very much depend on the availability and cost of hydrogen. For companies that produce hydrogen as a by-product stream or have access to competitively priced hydrogen, the business case can already be attractive today. Future CO₂ costs, sustainability targets and regulations also play a role.

In certain cases, yes. Depending on the boiler, burner and safety systems, existing installations can be adapted to fully or partially run on hydrogen. Want to know whether your current steam installation is suitable for hydrogen? The Callens Group specialists will gladly carry out an initial analysis.

Many modern steam boilers are designed as a dual-fuel system or prepared for a phased switch to alternative fuels. The installation can run on natural gas and hydrogen, natural gas and biogas, or a combination of different gaseous fuels, for example. This increases flexibility and makes it possible to respond to availability, energy prices and sustainability targets.

Hydrogen requires a specific approach to storage, distribution and combustion. However, with the right engineering, safety systems, detection systems and procedures, hydrogen is a safe option for industrial installations. During the design process, our specialists take all the relevant safety standards and technical requirements into account.

Hydrogen-fired steam boilers are particularly worthwhile for sectors such as the chemical and petrochemical sectors, refining, steel production and certain industrial production environments where hydrogen is available as a raw material or a by-product stream. In addition, a hydrogen-fired steam boiler can make perfect sense for plants currently preparing for future hydrogen infrastructure or looking to make their steam production more sustainable on a step-by-step basis.

As an EPCS integrator, the Callens Group takes charge of the entire process: from on-site analysis and engineering to installation and service. This gives you a single point of contact throughout the full service life of your hydrogen-fired steam boiler. You can find out more about the various steps in our workflow here.

Absolutely. Hydrogen-fired steam boilers are often integrated into hybrid energy systems together with electric steam boilers, electrode boilers, combined heat and power units (CHP), heat pumps or conventional gas-fired installations. This gives you a flexible energy supply that responds to energy availability, energy prices and sustainability targets.

The composition and purity of the hydrogen can affect burner settings and the design of the installation. That is why the available hydrogen stream is thoroughly analyzed beforehand to ensure that your boiler is optimally matched to your fuel properties.

At Vynova in Tessenderlo, Callens set up an installation that converts hydrogen — a residual product from the production process — into sustainable steam. Two steam boilers with a combined capacity of 60 tons per hour use more than 1,200 kg of hydrogen per hour. Thanks to smart burner technology, the installation can run on hydrogen, natural gas or a mix of both. The project reduces CO₂ emissions by around 10,000 tons a year and makes the production process considerably more sustainable. More details:

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