The TANDEM project is a large R&D project performed by Bright Renewables, part of the HoSt Group, for the development of a 1 MW Balance of PlantE-methanol system. HyGear will provide the PEM electrolyser and the reactor will be place at their research site, while the University of Twente (UT) will perform crucial research on the heat exchange of the system using a lab scale twin-test reactor.
TANDEM itself is an acronym for Towards Acceleration aNd Demonstration of E-Methanol. The project will be performed between April 2024 up to the start of 2028, and the first production of methanol is expected to occur at the end of 2025.
The background of E-methanol is closely related to the processes currently performed within the HoSt group. Using anaerobic digestion in conjunction with biogas upgrading to biomethane and CO₂ liquefaction yields biogenic CO₂. Furthermore, the biomethane can be converted to a mixture containing CO and H₂ using steam methane reforming. Also, the other processes of the HoSt group, combined heat and power plants as well as gasification, yield these gasses. These can be converted in a reactor into water and methanol. Thereby especially leading to the valorisation of CO₂.
Methanol itself is a chemical with a variety of applications: it can be used as an energy storage medium in which it is especially suited to store energy of significant amount for extended periods of time. Hereby it as able to function as the current hydrocarbon energy carriers such as oil. Methanol is useful for seasonal energy storage especially in areas where other large scale large timespan methods such as hydro energy are not available. Due to it being a liquid at room conditions its storage is relatively simple: current storage infrastructure can easily be used. It gives methanol a high specific energy and density thereby performing better than the storage of methane and hydrogen. Also due to it being a liquid at room conditions the transport of methanol is relatively simple. Therefore, it is currently seen as one of the big options for hard to decarbonise transport systems such as container shipping where batteries or compressed hydrogen due to their low energy density are not an option. Furthermore, methanol can be used as a feedstock for chemical industry from which a plethora of chemicals can be synthesized. Also, due to the decentral character of this specific methanol system it can be used in the contact of energy hubs. These can aid in regions with high grid congestion and can aid in buffering excess amount of renewable energy to be used at periods of deficit renewable energy source (for example during Dunkelflaute).
TANDEM aims to deliver the e-methanol system suited to the utilisation of decentral produced biogenic CO₂ and renewable energy (which is their common characteristics). By performing this at demonstration scale in the real world the system as well as the principle of E-methanol is validated. Due to the size and dynamic character the reactor technology selected is the LOGIC reactor.
LOGIC (Liquid Out Gas In Concept) reactor technology is a highly integrated reactor principle. Using the synergy between reaction, heat transfer, and natural convection flow the reactor can perform methanol synthesis at moderate temperature and pressure. Due to the reactor using the principle of natural convection due to the placement of the reactor bed and condenser the reactor has a highly reduced energy requirement. Furthermore, due to the nature of the design (all process steps take place in a single vessel) it lends itself to the use case of the decentralized scale within the TANDEM scope.
The LOGIC reactor also has a transient response of such timescale that its able to ‘follow the sun’ thereby able to function in a conjunction with renewable energy. It can start-up, shutdown, and turn down/up thereby making use of excess renewable energy which then can be stored for timescales significantly longer than batteries. Furthermore, due to the decentralized nature of the system significant scale can be achieved via numbering up while maintaining its flexibility. This enables methanol production at scale with a dynamic nature able to effectively follow renewable energy availability. Subsidy & Consortium The TANDEM project receives € 3.995.119 DEI+ subsidy from GroenvermogenNL. The consortium of TANDEM is formed by Bright Renewables (part of HoSt Groep), Bright, Hygear and University of Twente.
The project will run from April 2024 to the start of 2028. In the first period the final system development is performed, and construction is commenced. SAT and first methanol is expected to occur at the end of 2025. The following period will first see the static base load validation of the system after which the dynamic nature of the system will be validated and refined. The end of the project will be marked by the introduction of the second generation of the system which will be brought to market. During all phases of the project the University of Twente will have a symbiotic relationship in which a constant knowledge exchange between the TANDEM reactor and its lab twin will take place. This gives allows the TANDEM maximum flexibility in validating the overall reactor, and testing the underlying physical effects for further development thereby valorising research performed at the UT.
