Puffin
Project Puffin
Publieke samenvatting / Public summary
Aanleiding
Green hydrogen is required to reach the EU climate goals1. Within NW Europe, however, green hydrogen poses two challenges: 1) Limitations to scalability of local production due to unfavorable climate conditions, 2) Seasonal supply-demand mismatch. Therefore, large-scale imports and storage is required to fill the supply gap and balance the future hydrogen system. Currently, most mature options for storage and transport are not cost effective to facilitate storage and imports on the required scale. Therefore, scaling of (new) technologies is required and research2 illustrates three promising candidates: Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), Ammonia and Liquid Hydrogen. Although Vopak believes all three technologies are required, depending on use case, it considers LOHC technology most promising in the short term as the carrier material (a kind of heating oil classified as K3 product, like diesel) can be transported and stored in existing infrastructure.
Doelstelling
Project Puffin is a first and essential step to further upscaling the LOHC technology into an enabler of large-scale hydrogen storage and import, increasing the flexibility of the energy system and facilitating the energy transition. Developing this technology allows Vopak to take a leading role in hydrogen storage and facilitates and supports the Dutch ambition to establish an international hydrogen hub. To reach this overarching goal, the first step is a pilot to further scale-up the technology, increase efficiency and apply the technology in a real-life, industrial setting. Puffin aims to do this by successfully building, operating, testing, and monitoring an international supply chain for green hydrogen based on the LOHC technology. This will be the largest LOHC supply chain worldwide, three times larger than the latest pilot of Chiyoda as developed in Asia. The part of the project that applies for the subsidy (the pilot) entails the successful development, installation, and optimization of the Release Plant (required to release the hydrogen from the loaded LOHC) in an industrial cluster.
Korte omschrijving
The pilot focuses on the development of the Release Plant for which activities are divided into four work packages. After the Final Investment Decision in September 2021, the Front-End Loading & Procurement phase starts; detailing required engineering packages, selecting contractors and finishing the permit process. This work package will be led by Vopak and will give valuable insights on optimal engineering design for a Release Plant of this scale. Second, the selected site at the Vopak Terminal Chemiehaven will be prepared by selected civil, E&I and mechanical engineering companies, supervised by Vopak. Third, the Release Plant will be assembled and installed by the selected mechanical engineering company, supervised by Hydrogenious. Fourth, after a phased start-up of the Release Plant, it will be thoroughly tested by 5.2 FTE of Hydrogenious, optimizing the efficiency of the process.
Resultaat
The pilot has three main results, which are 1) scale the technology to the next technically feasible level (1.5 tpd), 2) optimize the system (costs, energy use and material loss) to enhance efficiency and 3) learn how to shape-up flexible distribution within a real-life industrial cluster by demonstrating stable output (volumes and quality) to potential off-takers. This project allows Vopak (and the Netherlands) and Hydrogenious to gain valuable knowledge and experience required to scale up the technology to commercially viable levels. For Vopak this project will create a unique position in the hydrogen market with first mover advantage and a steep learning curve in this new value chain. Puffin serves as a key enabler of large-scale hydrogen storage and transport based on LOHC and therefore strongly contributes to increasing the flexibility of the future energy. Moreover, this project reduces CO2 emissions by 4 kt per year for the years that it is operational and is aimed to contribute to a new import system targeting to reduce CO2 emissions as defined by both the Netherlands and the EU.
Green hydrogen is required to reach the EU climate goals1. Within NW Europe, however, green hydrogen poses two challenges: 1) Limitations to scalability of local production due to unfavorable climate conditions, 2) Seasonal supply-demand mismatch. Therefore, large-scale imports and storage is required to fill the supply gap and balance the future hydrogen system. Currently, most mature options for storage and transport are not cost effective to facilitate storage and imports on the required scale. Therefore, scaling of (new) technologies is required and research2 illustrates three promising candidates: Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), Ammonia and Liquid Hydrogen. Although Vopak believes all three technologies are required, depending on use case, it considers LOHC technology most promising in the short term as the carrier material (a kind of heating oil classified as K3 product, like diesel) can be transported and stored in existing infrastructure.
Doelstelling
Project Puffin is a first and essential step to further upscaling the LOHC technology into an enabler of large-scale hydrogen storage and import, increasing the flexibility of the energy system and facilitating the energy transition. Developing this technology allows Vopak to take a leading role in hydrogen storage and facilitates and supports the Dutch ambition to establish an international hydrogen hub. To reach this overarching goal, the first step is a pilot to further scale-up the technology, increase efficiency and apply the technology in a real-life, industrial setting. Puffin aims to do this by successfully building, operating, testing, and monitoring an international supply chain for green hydrogen based on the LOHC technology. This will be the largest LOHC supply chain worldwide, three times larger than the latest pilot of Chiyoda as developed in Asia. The part of the project that applies for the subsidy (the pilot) entails the successful development, installation, and optimization of the Release Plant (required to release the hydrogen from the loaded LOHC) in an industrial cluster.
Korte omschrijving
The pilot focuses on the development of the Release Plant for which activities are divided into four work packages. After the Final Investment Decision in September 2021, the Front-End Loading & Procurement phase starts; detailing required engineering packages, selecting contractors and finishing the permit process. This work package will be led by Vopak and will give valuable insights on optimal engineering design for a Release Plant of this scale. Second, the selected site at the Vopak Terminal Chemiehaven will be prepared by selected civil, E&I and mechanical engineering companies, supervised by Vopak. Third, the Release Plant will be assembled and installed by the selected mechanical engineering company, supervised by Hydrogenious. Fourth, after a phased start-up of the Release Plant, it will be thoroughly tested by 5.2 FTE of Hydrogenious, optimizing the efficiency of the process.
Resultaat
The pilot has three main results, which are 1) scale the technology to the next technically feasible level (1.5 tpd), 2) optimize the system (costs, energy use and material loss) to enhance efficiency and 3) learn how to shape-up flexible distribution within a real-life industrial cluster by demonstrating stable output (volumes and quality) to potential off-takers. This project allows Vopak (and the Netherlands) and Hydrogenious to gain valuable knowledge and experience required to scale up the technology to commercially viable levels. For Vopak this project will create a unique position in the hydrogen market with first mover advantage and a steep learning curve in this new value chain. Puffin serves as a key enabler of large-scale hydrogen storage and transport based on LOHC and therefore strongly contributes to increasing the flexibility of the future energy. Moreover, this project reduces CO2 emissions by 4 kt per year for the years that it is operational and is aimed to contribute to a new import system targeting to reduce CO2 emissions as defined by both the Netherlands and the EU.