REFHYNE, Europe’s largest PEM electrolyzer for green hydrogen in Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rhineland is making visible progress.
Previously, the electrolyzer modules had been produced by ITM Power and assembled as the centerpiece. The production of industrial-scale hydrogen will be launched on 2 July 2021 at an official opening ceremony, which has already been announced by political celebrities.
REFHYNE is a concrete building block that stands for the transformation of the former Rheinland refinery into the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland.
The aim is, among other things, the ambitious co-design of the energy transition and the future viability of the business location Rheinisches Revier. The REFHYNE project and European consortium is funded by the Fuel Cell Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU).
Three special cranes were needed to hoist the two so-called Venturi roofs onto the plant. The two modules have a roof area of 25 by 18.5 meters and weigh 46 tons. The roof construction, which is aligned with the predominant main wind direction, ensures environmentally and resource-saving ventilation of the production area. Mechanical ventilation can thus be dispensed with.
In recent months, the five electrolyser modules had been brought to Wesseling from the UK after successful trial operation. In the electrolysers, water is separated into its components hydrogen and oxygen by means of direct current. The resulting oxygen is released into the environment.
The hydrogen is fed into the refinery network and used in plants for the upgrading of products. Because the electricity used in electrolysis comes from renewable energy, “green hydrogen”, one of the most important energy sources for shaping the energy transition, is produced.
The assembly work is thus on the home straight. The commissioning of the largest PEM hydrogen electrolysis (PEM stands for Proton Exchange membrane) for the production of green hydrogen is already planned for July.
REFHYNE will produce up to 1300 tons of hydrogen per year. The technology is considered a pilot for use, for example, for mobility, industrial applications, power storage and heating purposes.
The Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland is thus continuing its ambitious path of actively shaping the energy transition and investing in the achievement of the German climate targets. Because green hydrogen is derived from renewable energy, the project contributes to reducing CO2-to reduce the intensity of the site in a sustainable manner.
This supports Shell in its goal of becoming an energy company with net zero emissions by 2050.
- The completion of Europe’s largest PEM electrolysis (polymer electrolyte membrane) for the production of green hydrogen in the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland is progressing visibly. With the installation of impressively large roofs, the construction of the refHYNE-called plant has passed another important milestone.
Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland: Produktion von grünem Wasserstoff auf der Zielgeraden, April 30, 2021
