Shell Launches 24kW e-SAF Co-electrolysis Pilot Project in the Netherlands

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 15, Shell Global Solutions, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (Fraunhofer IKTS), and AVL launched a next-generation Power-to-Liquid (PTL) joint research and development program. They will build and operate an integrated pilot system at Shell's Amsterdam Energy Transition Campus to produce synthetic aviation fuel (e-SAF) from carbon dioxide and low-carbon electricity. The collaboration period is 4 years, with pilot testing scheduled for completion before the end of this decade.

The core equipment of the project is a 24kW solid oxide co-electrolysis (SOEC) unit, which will be connected to Shell's existing Fischer-Tropsch pilot plant. The complete process includes high-temperature co-electrolysis, membrane separation, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and tail gas utilization. Through SOEC, water vapor and carbon dioxide are simultaneously converted into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, directly forming the syngas required for subsequent Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

Fraunhofer IKTS is responsible for providing the solid oxide co-electrolysis technology. Its SOEC process operates at temperatures exceeding 750°C, can simultaneously process water vapor and carbon dioxide in co-electrolysis mode, and directly produces syngas. The institute's existing SOE stacks have completed long-term laboratory operation validation, with a performance degradation rate of less than 0.5%/1000 hours, and are advancing industrial-scale automated stack production and modular technology.

AVL is responsible for electrolysis system engineering and system integration, while Shell is introducing the Shell XTL process and existing Fischer-Tropsch pilot facilities. The Shell XTL route includes syngas conversion and liquid hydrocarbon processing technologies. Its existing Fischer-Tropsch pilot plant was previously used for GTL process commercialization development. In this project, the 24kW SOEC module will be directly connected to the pilot platform to conduct joint operation testing of the entire process, including co-electrolysis, gas purification, syngas treatment, and liquid fuel synthesis.

Fraunhofer IKTS's existing SAF R&D system has built a 12kW containerized demonstration unit to validate the combined co-electrolysis and Fischer-Tropsch process, and has established catalyst and product analysis methods for more than 350 components. This 24kW project will further expand the electrolysis scale and form a complete pilot chain with Shell's existing Fischer-Tropsch system.

The project is supported by the Dutch government's DEI Energy Innovation Program, with project number DEI1250051. The three parties plan to obtain data on SOEC durability, system integration, energy efficiency, membrane separation, tail gas recycling, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis through 4 years of operational testing. The testing program is expected to conclude before 2030, with industrial commercialization deployment targeted for the next decade.