Trade release: Shell Catalysts & Technologies’ deoxygenation catalyst qualified for green hydrogen purification
Shell Catalysts & Technologies’ (SC&T) deoxygenation catalyst has been qualified for the purification of hydrogen gas produced electrolytically in Shell’s green hydrogen projects.
Shell Catalysts & Technologies’ (SC&T) deoxygenation catalyst has been qualified for the purification of hydrogen gas produced electrolytically in Shell’s green hydrogen projects. Crucially, the qualification was made only after the catalyst’s performance in transient conditions had been confirmed. In addition to deoxygenation catalysts, SC&T also offers dehydrogenation catalysts for the purification of oxygen gas concurrently derived from the electrolysis process.
Green hydrogen is obtained from renewable sources by electrolysis followed by a purification step. Because renewable sources, especially wind, are inherently intermittent, it is critical that the catalyst used in the purification step is robust in transient conditions.
SC&T therefore developed a sophisticated proprietary kinetic model that helped to confirm the deoxygenation catalyst’s performance in wind-turbine-powered applications and secure its qualification for Shell renewable hydrogen plants.
Dirk Lose, Senior Technical Consultant, SC&T, explains: “Our comprehensive test series and model helped to identify the risks related to operating under transient conditions and subsequently confirmed that the catalyst can operate in a stable way when exposed to fast swings in both gas flow rate and temperature. It can also be robust under the frequent shutdown and restart conditions that would be anticipated due to the intermittency of renewable energy.”
“Furthermore, the catalyst performed reliably after being rapidly heated, a procedure that would be necessary to remove condensed free water that would saturate the catalyst bed after a short or prolonged shutdown. This procedure was performed repeatedly without damage to the catalyst. The catalyst also performed for a wide range of gas hourly space velocities and when operating in a broad temperature range, from 50°C up.”
The de-risking of SC&T’s deoxygenation catalyst has significance beyond Shell’s green hydrogen projects. Hydrogen project activity around the world is accelerating, and this catalyst system could provide a robust purification solution for those ventures. Other, third-party customers are currently evaluating the technology for deployment in their projects.
“SC&T has been providing purification solutions to various applications such as natural gas and carbon dioxide and will be looking at accelerating deployment into green hydrogen,” shares Agnes Lim, Specialty Marketing Manager, SC&T. “In addition to in-house capabilities, we are looking for partners to progress our development.”
For further details, please contact:
Laura van Lingen
Shell Media Relations
Tel: +31 (0)70 377 8750
Email: laura.vanlingen@shell.com
About Shell Catalysts & Technologies
Shell Catalysts & Technologies exists to provide Shell and non-Shell businesses with the tools, technologies and insights that are needed to navigate the energy transition.
We are pushing boundaries in the energy transition space. For decades, we have been developing game-changing technological innovations to solve seemingly insurmountable challenges. Now we have, or are developing, a wide range of differentiated solutions that offer attractive decarbonisation opportunities, including biofuels, carbon capture and blue hydrogen technologies.
What sets us apart is the knowledge we have gained from Shell’s corporate heritage as the operator of refineries and petrochemical plants around the world. It also gives us a unique perspective on how refiners can remain competitive.
Our world-class catalyst and research and development expertise has enabled us to establish an enviable track record for developing leading-edge zeolites and catalysts, advanced solvents and pioneering processes, and provides a strong foundation for our future technology development.
For more information, visit www.shell.com/ct.
About Shell’s green hydrogen projects
Shell sees opportunities across the hydrogen supply chain, including for the production, storage, transport via pipelines and shipping of hydrogen, and end-customer solutions. Large-scale production of hydrogen from renewables is Shell’s ultimate goal. To achieve scale in the timeframe required for hydrogen to make a difference as a net-zero lever, all forms of decarbonised hydrogen are needed.
Some of Shell’s hydrogen projects include:
- REFYHNE electrolyser, Germany. At the Shell Rhineland Refinery in Wesseling, Germany, Shell has built one of the largest hydrogen proton exchange membrane electrolysers in the world. It has a peak capacity of 10 megawatts and produces 1,300 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
- M4 electrolyser, China. This 20-megawatt power-to-hydrogen electrolyser and hydrogen refuelling station in Zhangjiakou started operation in January 2022. The project is part of a joint venture, formed in November 2020, between Shell China and Zhangjiakou City Transport Construction Investment Holding Group Co. Ltd. Construction took only 13 months. Utilising solar and onshore wind power, the facility can generate eight tonnes of renewables-based hydrogen per day.
- Holland Hydrogen I, the Netherlands. Shell has taken the final investment decision to build Holland Hydrogen I, which will be Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant when operational in 2025. The 200-megawatt electrolyser will be constructed on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day. The renewable power for the electrolyser will come from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord), which is partly owned by Shell.
- NortH2, the Netherlands. Shell, together with its consortium partners Gasunie and Groningen Seaports, announced in February 2020 one of the largest renewables-based hydrogen initiatives in Europe, the NortH2 project. Two additional partners, RWE and Equinor, joined the consortium in early 2021. NortH2 is located in the north of the Netherlands, and the project envisages the construction of large-scale wind farms in the North Sea that can gradually grow to 10 gigawatt capacity by 2040. The first turbines could be ready in 2027 and will be used for producing renewable hydrogen that will mainly be used to supply the industrial sector.
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