Dow and Shell entered a partnership in June 2020 to jointly develop a technology to cut CO2 emissions from steam crackers by electrifying furnaces. Recently the two companies reported that the programme had received a €3.5 million ($4.2 million) subsidy from the Netherlands government under the Mission-driven Research, Development and Innovation scheme. They also announced that the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology had joined the project.
The companies said they had deployed their expertise in hydrocarbon technology, metallurgy, electrical design, and computational fluid dynamics to select concepts, validate emissions benefits, advance patents, demonstrate the durability of electric heating elements, and partner with equipment suppliers. The programme has enhanced electrification solutions for today’s steam crackers while also developing technologies for new designs of electrified crackers in the longer term. Shell and Dow are now studying the construction of a pilot plant, with start-up expected in 2025, subject to investment support.
