Trillium selects Shell Blue hydrogen process for Ohio plant

Trillium H2 Power LLC (tH2 Power) has awarded Shell Catalysts & Technologies a contract to deliver a Shell Blue Hydrogen Process (SBHP) license agreement. The license is for tH2 Power, which involves building multiple large-scale, low-carbon-hydrogen-fuelled power generation and manufacturing projects at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in rural Pike County, Ohio, with additional sites in Central Appalachia.

All tH2 Power projects will begin with the production of 500 tonnes/day of decarbonised (blue) hydrogen in Phase 1. Natural gas will be used for the feedstock, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by this process will be captured and permanently stored in the geologic formations available throughout the region. A portion of the decarbonised hydrogen will fuel low-carbon power, sustainable transportation fuels and other low-carbon products. The total amount of CO2 stored at each site is expected to be approximately 1.6 M tonnes per annum.

The SBHP uses Shell gas partial oxidation (SGP) technology and, in comparison with other technology options (including steam methane reforming [SMR] and autothermal reforming [ATR]), it captures CO2 at higher pressures and larger scales, which results in a lower levelised cost of hydrogen and lowers the overall lifecycle emissions at each site.

Nick Flinn, Vice President, Decarbonisation Technologies, Shell Catalysts & Technologies, said: “The maturity and credibility of the technology was key to this deal. Newpoint was looking for a proven concept, so the Pearl GTL plant in Qatar, in which 18 SGP trains have been operating since 2011, was a valuable reference for them. Another important aspect was the fact that the SBHP can achieve a high carbon-capture rate with a simple line-up and with no need for the complex recycles that are inherent in the alternative technologies.”

Zane Rhodes, Co-Founder, Trillium H2 Power LLC, observed: “Established manufacturers with a proven track record of safe reliable operations were key factors in our evaluation of processes to consider for the tH2 Power projects, with Shell’s SBHP being the obvious choice. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Nick Flinn and his team in the national effort to re-shore US manufacturing by producing clean blue hydrogen with the lowest emissions.”