A yet2 client is seeking technologies that use electricity to generate the heat required within chemical reactors, for industrial scale applications. There is an interest in designs and/or demonstrations of reactors where electricity is converted to thermal energy, that can achieve and sustain temperatures between 500-1200°C. The reactor unit should be scalable to process a given mass flow to a set temperature, either by using multiple modular units, or by increasing the size of an individual unit.
Our client is also willing to partner with innovators who have immature electrical heating technologies in this area to accelerate the technology to a commercial level.
Background
Currently chemical reactors used for highly endothermic reactions are typically heated via natural gas. Natural gas is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, in addition to it having a negative environmental impact. As a result, our client wishes to move their business away from this resource for this application and towards electrically powered alternatives.
Constraints
A valid technology will:
- Be powered by electricity
- Be able to operate at temperatures between 500-1200°C. Technologies that operate in the higher region of this band are advantageous for highly endothermic reactions and preferred if sustainable.
- Be able to be applied to catalytic process.
- Have the potential (with additional development if required) to achieve the heat flux and throughput comparable to current industrial reactors.
Possible Solution Areas
- Existing and emerging reactor designs that use induction and/or resistive heating to facilitate high temperature chemical reactions.
- Innovations in electrically heated reactor designs that increase the reaction conversion and/or energy efficiency.
- New technologies that convert electricity to heat which could be incorporated into a reactor unit.
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