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Accelerated development

Robots and nano-scale reactors sound like the stuff of science fiction. In fact, they are the tools of the trade for Shell technologists using cutting-edge Enhanced Experimentation techniques to speed up chemical product development.

Enhanced Experimentation is vital for staying at the cutting edge of catalyst technology development

Enhanced Experimentation (EE) accelerates research and development projects by allowing higher performance testing efficiency for new products, which translates into shorter development phases and ultimately quicker routes to market.

EE tools and methodology can reduce the time it takes to bring advances in process technology to market by months or, in some cases, even years. It was first used by Shell as a method for speeding up catalyst scouting.

“EE is vital for staying at the cutting edge of catalyst technology development because it increases the chance of significant technological breakthrough and helps to make it happen more quickly and at lower cost,” says Safa George, Vice President for Catalyst Technology.

It enhances your chances of success by an order of magnitude due to the number of sample preparations you can evaluate in parallel.”

EE robotics used for preparing catalyst samples at Shell’s Technology Centres in Amsterdam, Houston and Bangalore can generate almost ten times the number of formulations compared to a technician doing it manually by hand.

Testing facilities at Westhollow Technology Center

The Enhanced Experimentation catalyst preparation and testing facilities at the Westhollow Technology Centre.

The use of robots in sample preparation is important not just for speed but also for precision, ensuring that formulations are repeatable and duplicable. “Eliminating manual intervention removes even the very smallest margins for error or subtleties in variability,” explains Laxmi Narasimhan, Catalyst Technology Lead at the Bangalore Technology Centre.

The use of nano-scale, multi-tube reactors at the labs allows for even greater improvements in catalyst performance testing productivity.

“Catalysts are complex formulations, with a huge number of possible permutations,” he says. “Utilising EE tools enables you to identify and explore combinations of those elements most likely to deliver results in a much quicker and more efficient way.”

Improvements in catalyst selectivity, activity and/or cycle life performance help to save the chemical industry millions of dollars every year through improved plant efficiency. They also have an environmental benefit in helping to reduce CO2 emissions.

The use of EE has already been key to the development of new high performance catalysts for Ethylene Oxide (EO) and Styrene Monomer processes, as well as environmental catalysts used to reduce NOX and dioxin emissions and those used in refining applications.