EleCtrically Heated nOvel rEactor Development : ECHOED

Aanleiding

Today the chemical industry is struggling to become climate neutral and circular. According to the Dutch climate agreement (MMIP6), the industrial sector must be climate neutral and at least 80% circular by 2050.

As energy and raw materials are intertwined in the process industry, process electrification and reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) technology implementation are poised as attractive solutions for such challenges. Endothermic reactions, i.e. RWGS, are largely representative of the processes in the chemical industry, which is one of the largest CO2 emitters in the Dutch industrial landscape.

RWGS is a promising technology to convert CO2 and green H2 into synthetic liquid fuels and industrial feedstock, promoting circularity and a business case for captured carbon and optimal use of green H2. The RWGS reactor offers a predominant route for CO2 conversion into synthesis gas for synthetic liquid fuels and industrial feedstock. Electrification of RWGS contributes to the circular CO2 ambitions laid down in MMIP6. Furthermore, the proposed project fits perfectly in MMIP 8 – Maximum electrification and radically new processes.

Doelstelling

The objective of the ECHOED project is to showcase direct electrification and carbon circularity of chemical processes together with flexibility of operation and prepare for a first commercial demonstration in a follow-up project led by industry partners.

ECHOED will pilot an electrically heated RWGS reactor on lab scale based on the learnings from the technology developments of its predecessor projects (THOR, SFINCS, and SUBLIME) funded under TSE O&O schemes. The ECHOED project will bring two developments together: electrification of high-temperature processes and RWGS reactor development, via a multidisciplinary stakeholders approach, i.e. bringing knowledge from various partners.

Korte omschrijving

• Design evaluation and modelling of electrically heated reactors based on radiative, resistive, inductive, and molten salt heating
• Electrically heated e-RWGS pilot development and testing
• Radiative high-voltage driven heater design, development, and testing, for heating and/or endothermic reacting of high-pressure fluids in temperature range 200 to 800 °C in a hot-box-like (furnace) arrangement
• Resistive electric heater design, development, and testing, for heating and/or endothermic reacting of low-pressure fluids in temperature range 200 to 800 °C, possibly as integrated heating option on the reactor wall
• Inductive heater design, development, and testing, for heating and/or endothermic reacting of low-pressure fluids in temperature range 200 to 1000 °C
• Molten salt indirect heating & heat transfer fluid development in temperature range 200 to 800 °C
• TEA, LCA, and market analysis
• Electrical system integration with e-heating technologies and flexibilization
• Full scale design and development roadmap
• Dissemination and societal studies

Resultaat

The ECHOED project will develop a cost and energy efficient electrified RWGS reactor to produce synthesis gas. The electric heating technologies will be designed and tested for a large delivery temperature range of 200 to 1000 °C.

The reduction of operating temperatures of the RWGS reaction will also be investigated. The results can be widely deployed for electrification of hard-to-abate sectors like (petro-)chemical, metal and minerals, refineries, etc.

ECHOED will develop electrical infrastructure requirements and grid congestion reduction mechanisms which are crucial for electrification of energy-intensive processes. ECHOED will develop a first-of-a-kind demonstrator electrified RWGS reactor.

The dedicated techno-economic assessment (TEA) will quantify the capital investments of the scaled electrified RWGS reactor for different design choices. Various chemical companies in the VNCI network will be the first adopters of the results developed and tested in the project.

The environmental benefits of such an electrified reactor will be demonstrated through societal innovation studies, detailed impact, safety and application studies, and sustainability assessments including carbon footprint.