The Clean Refinery Hydrogen for Europe (REFHYNE) project has successfully concluded at Wesseling, just south of Koeln in Germany’s Rhineland, to learn from the development and operation of a 10MW PEM electrolyser.
The ground-breaking initiative was the largest operational PEM plant demonstrated the viability and potential of green hydrogen production in a refinery at an industrial scale. It offered an opportunity to show prospective customers electrolysers operating in an active refinery setting.
The achievement, which saw much of the work take place during the global pandemic, highlight the dedication of all partners involved Shell, SINTEF, Sphera and ERM. Data gathered from REFHYNE proves ITM’s stack performance and operational flexibility.
The electrolysers will continue to provide Shell’s refinery with green hydrogen long into the future.
The demonstration project has been supported with €10 million from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership
In my region, the North West, Steam Methane Reforming ‘Blue’ Hydrogen technologies are being incorporated into one of the UK’s largest refineries at Stanlow.
Developments in Holland and Germany are in the public domain.
These are based around refineries and chemical cluster around Leuna offering testing industrial-scale electrolysers of any type in 24/7 continuous operation.
Leuna enables an assessment of their performance, cost-efficiency, and long-term behaviour in real-world operation as well as in accelerated aging tests. The data can provide a basis for future certification that is key in providing operators assurance around the reliability and efficiency of such plants.
Another Shell site, at Pernis in Holland, links up to the nearby hydrogen hub at Maasvlagte off Rotterdam
This, Europe’s largest port, stands at the centre of a maritime industrial cluster with global shipping links and is also sited at a key location on the European Hydrogen Backbone
A power-to-liquid (ptl) plant for synthetic aviation fuel and naptha from renewables and biomass at Wesseling is also awaiting a final investment decision.
Track progress for RefHYne 2 at the moderated focus group; Hydrogen Innovation
We hope you’ve found this article interesting and of use. Charley Rattan Associates is active in major project development and offers global advisory and training services to the hydrogen sector. Feel free to reach out and contact us we have a 15 minute free consultation available on our website; https://www.charleyrattan.com/
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