Christof Industries took part in one of the most important trade fairs for the process industries, the Achema fair, from August 22nd to 26th, 2022, in Frankfurt.
Achema visitors had an opportunity to get insights into CI’s full-service portfolio, the highest possible technical perfection and innovative know-how of every stage along the lifecycle of a plant – including global development, installation and servicing of industrial plants.
Highlights of this event were the NH3 Combustion Reactor exhibition model and Dr. Alfred Friedacher’s lecture on hydrogen as an alternative energy source.
The NH3 Combustion Reactor
The NH3 Combustion Reactor has been a part of the Oschatz product range for over 65 years, making it one of the most traditional products within Christof Industries’ portfolio. More than 200 of these reactors with integrated process gas coolers have already been designed, manufactured, and supplied to clients worldwide.
The steam generated in the process gas cooler is practically the welcome by-product of a chemical production plant. It is a nice-to-have by-product and a plus in terms of sustainability, as it serves as process steam within the plant itself or is fed directly to the turbo machine train and thus reduces the electrical power requirement.
A nitric acid factory can produce more than 1.500 MTPD acid per line depending on the process parameters and the gas volume flow. For large systems, the diameter of the NH3 Combustion Reactor can be up to six meters.
The NH3 Combustion Reactor is the core or starting component of the entire production process and plays a decisive role in the quality of the acid produced at the end.
To learn more about what exactly happens in an Oschatz boiler, check our social media or read more here.
Towards industrialisation of an MSC-based HT-SOEC Electrolyser
As a particular highlight, the head of the CI group’s research and development team, Dr. Alfred Friedacher, gave an exciting lecture on hydrogen as an alternative energy source.
In July 2022, the European Commission approved the first Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) in the field of hydrogen. Austria is among the fifteen Member States that jointly prepared the so-called IPCEI Hy2Tech, focusing on technologies for hydrogen production, transportation, and its use.
To reduce the production cost of renewable hydrogen via water electrolysis and to fulfil Europe’s challenging capacity targets, the improvement and scale-up in terms of costs, durability, and efficiency are of great importance.
In the course of the IPCEI Hy2Tech project, Christof Industries Austria GmbH and AVL List GmbH are cooperating on the development, optimisation and ultimately industrialisation of the world’s first 1 MW high-temperature solid oxide electrolyser (HT-SOEC) based on metal-supported cells (MSCs) and its transfer to serial production. This will enable renewable hydrogen to be produced at a significantly lower cost and with higher efficiency than currently available technologies. By integrating the HT-SOEC into a wide range of industries (e.g. steel, cement, chemical and waste treatment), the project is making a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of energy and industrial systems.
The presentation gave an overview of the unique MSC-based HT-SOEC electrolyser on its way to industrialisation and its advantages over currently available low-temperature electrolysis systems.
Christof Industries Know-how
The CI team exchanged their experience and knowledge as the global partner for developing, installing and servicing industrial plants.
We are grateful for having a chance to have great discussions and exchange ideas with all visitors of ACHEMA, especially students from TU Darmstadt, Montanuniversität Leoben and the University of Vienna.
