New facilities for Power-2-X research: Rotterdam Field Lab Industrial Electrification

02-11-2020 | New Project | P2Hydrogen | P2Chemicals | P2Integrate

Innovation hub for electrification technologies

VoltaChem is developing a Field Lab Industrial Electrification in the Rotterdam-Moerdijk industrial area, together with its founding partner TNO, the Port of Rotterdam, industrial association Deltalinqs, technology business association FME and economic development agency InnovationQuarter, and with support of regional and national authorities. Offering state-of-the-art knowledge, support and technical facilities, the Field Lab will accelerate the industrial application of Power-2-Heat, Power-2-Hydrogen and Power-2-Chemicals technology, and integration along the chain.

The Field Lab Industrial Electrification will enable the demonstration of novel electrification technology in a setting of industrial use, meeting requirements in terms of process integration and operation. Often, for reasons of safety management or the lack of space, such a demonstration is not possible at operational industrial sites. However, industrial end-users need to evaluate the performance of novel innovative technologies in a relevant industrial environment, to assess their potential and to be able to accurately estimate the risks of incorporating them into their industrial operation.

By offering technical facilities at a dedicated location, complemented by state-of-the-art knowledge and support, the Field Lab offers technology suppliers, in particular SMEs, the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their innovations. It will also enable industrial end users to explore electrification opportunities in the perspective of process integration and chain integration, in collaboration with relevant partners. 

By connecting supply and demand in electrification technology, the Field Lab will be a matchmaker, facilitating joint projects to optimize performance, minimize risk, and develop a positive business case.

A real physical innovation hub 

The Field Lab is the first physical innovation hub for electrification technologies in the Rotterdam area. It will offer a dedicated site for experimentation and testing where Power-to-X technologies are identified, developed, tested, showcased and prepared for implementation, with a strong focus on chain integration. It offers space for innovative experiments and further development towards container-sized pilot installations. 

Adding to this, the Field Lab will be extended on a project basis towards physical demonstration locations at the operational sites of end-users, where scaling up and integration can be tested in real-life situations.

The Field Lab also houses a Solution Center offering support, expertise, knowledge, and network activities for advancing industrial electrification in the region. It facilitates, for instance, feasibility studies of business cases and provides support in the field of financing, legislation and regulations. The Solution Center will also provide training and education of current and future workforce. 

The Field Lab Industrial Electrification aims at bringing together worldwide ambitious players in Rotterdam to demonstrate and accelerate technology implementation, needed for the energy transition. It is located in the Rotterdam-Moerdijk region, more specifically the 'Haven Industrieel Cluster Rotterdam'. This location is ideally positioned to take a leading position in experimenting and testing Power-2-X technologies because of the infrastructure, the presence of major players from the petrochemical and energy industry and because of the excellent connection with the hinterland.

Activities starting in 2020

Currently a number of projects are under development to be carried out in the context of the Field Lab. These are projects in the field of Power-2-Heat (for instance heat engine development, electric cracking, hybrid multi-fuel burners, e-boilers) as well as Power-2-Chemicals (for instance CO₂ to fuels and chemicals, integration of electrolysis technology into downstream chemical processes). The Rotterdam Field Lab Industrial Electrification will be established in the course of 2020 when the Solutions Center will start its activities. The start of development and testing facilities in the central hub is planned for 2021, and the first on-site field demonstrations for 2022.

 

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Would you like to know more or are you interested in participating and carrying out projects in the Rotterdam Field Lab Industrial Electrification? Please contact our Power-2-Chemicals business development manager Willem Frens or our Power-2-Integrate Program Manager Monique Rijkers.

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Series on VoltaChem's hydrogen research facilities

This is part 3 in a series on VoltaChem's state-of-the-art hydrogen research facilities. Part 1 was on the Faraday Lab in Petten, part 2 was on the Hydrohub Megawatt Test Centre Groningen. 

In 2020, the VoltaChem program will start employing 3 state-of-the-art hydrogen research facilities in the Netherlands. These facilities have been developed by VoltaChem's founding father TNO and partners such as ISPT and Deltalinqs, supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. All facilities are aimed at assisting companies in their product development and implementation. The Faraday Lab in Petten facilitates small-scale research with a focus on new materials and components; the Hydrohub in Groningen focuses on large-scale stack research and materials testing; the Field Lab Industrial Electrification in Rotterdam is dedicated to the integration of electrolyzers in an industrial environment, using hydrogen and CO₂ to make new fuels and chemicals.

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