e-Crackers
A joint-technology program to electrically heat steam-cracker furnaces, which Dow, Inc. (Midland, Mich; www.dow.com) and Shell Chemicals (London, U.K.; www.shell.com) began in June 2020, is progressing forward. The joint program was awarded €3.5 million ($4.2 million) in MOOI (Mission-driven Research, Development and Innovation subsidy) scheme funding by the Netherlands Government. In addition, the partners have joined forces with The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO; The Hague; www.tno.nl) and the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT; Amersfoort, both the Netherlands; https://ispt.eu). This multi-company collaboration aims to accelerate key milestones for the near-term progress and longer-term breakthroughs needed.
In the first year, the program has advanced electrification solutions for today’s steam crackers while also pursuing game-changing technologies for novel designs of electrified crackers in the longer-term. Joint teams in the Netherlands and the U.S. have deployed their expertise in electrical design, metallurgy, hydrocarbon technology and computational fluid dynamics to narrow down concepts, validate emissions benefits, advance patents, demonstrate the durability of electric heating elements, and partner with equipment suppliers.
The companies are now evaluating construction of a multi-megawatt pilot plant, with potential startup in 2025, subject to investment support.