ONGC and Greenko set to splash $6.2 billion on Indian green hydrogen and renewable projects

 India’s state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and joint venture partner Greenko are poised to spend up to $6.2 billion on renewable energy and green hydrogen projects under the terms of an agreement signed Tuesday, Press Trust of India (PTI) has reported.

The investment, part of ONGC’s ambitious decarbonisation drive, could lead to the development of 5.5 to 7 gigawatts of solar and wind power projects, along with plans for producing green hydrogen, the news agency said, quoting unnamed officials from ONGC.

The two players inked a memorandum of understanding on 26 July “to jointly pursue opportunities in renewables, green hydrogen, green ammonia and other derivatives of green hydrogen”, ONGC said, without disclosing further details on the specific projects.

The green energy deal is likely to be valid for a two-year period, the company noted.

Joint venture plans

ONGC’s agreement with Greenko, one of India's largest renewable energy companies, is aimed at forming a 50:50 joint venture for green energy projects, Upstream understands.

PTI noted the joint venture will set up renewable energy capacity and use the generated power to split water in an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen, which in turn would be used for manufacturing green ammonia.

It added that the renewable plants, together with Greenko’s pump storage power generation system, will give 1.4 GW of “round-the-clock electricity” that would be used to produce 180,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen.

The joint venture is expected to effectively produce 1 million tpa of green ammonia as a part of the agreement.

The renewable energy component of the chain would cost about $5 billion, while the hydrogen and ammonia plant would require an additional $ 1.2 billion.

Green hydrogen push

Indian private sector giants like Reliance Industries and Adani have already announced billions of dollars in investments to set up green hydrogen projects.

ONGC’s foray into the sector is in line with India’s National Hydrogen Mission, which is aimed at making India a global green hydrogen hub, ONGC said.

“The activities envisaged under this MoU will contribute towards India’s target of producing 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by 2030,” the company added.

ONGC said it is looking to de-risk its oil and gas portfolio against “long-term disruptions” and aims to reduce its carbon footprint by moving into renewable energy.

Source:upstreamonline

Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers by Capacity

  Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers by Capacity

The chart below describes the Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers ranked by their current and upcoming capacity on a global basis

1. #hydrogenics / #cummins

2. #thyssenkrupp

3. #NEL

4. #HydrogenPro

5. #ITMPower

6. #Enapter

7. #siemensenergy

8. #Fusionfuelgreen

9. #GreenHydrogenSystems

10. #HydrogenRiseAG

Source:The full chart can be seen here https://lnkd.in/eaHA3X-k

Scientists Introduce a New Green Technology for Polyurethane Production

Scientists at South Ural State University are working with an industrial partner to create a new branch of the chemical industry in the Chelyabinsk Region.

Within the Ural Research Centre project, it is planned to introduce new green technology for polyurethane production and build a plant in the Chelyabinsk Region that will provide high-tech jobs for chemists, chemical technologists, and environmentalists.

Isocyanate-free PU Production

SUSU began cooperation with the Modern Insulation Technologies plant, which produces thermally insulated pipes for heat pipelines of housing and communal services as well as oil and gas transportation.

Polyurethane foam is used for pipe insulation. Polyurethane is the most widespread polymer in the world and is used to manufacture a wide range of products in a variety of industries: clothing, footwear, furniture, and heat insulation.

"Three countries are the largest producers of polyurethane in the world: Germany, USA, and China, but now imports from the USA and Europe have been suspended, and exports from China will not be able to cover all the market needs. Russia is a big market for this material, and the Chelyabinsk Region is the biggest consumer in our country. The Chelyabinsk Region accounts for 50 thousand tons out of 250 thousand tons of polyurethane consumed in Russia. The consumption of polyurethane foam is mainly directed toward construction materials and the production of pipes with thermal insulation.

Plants in Europe and China use technology developed in the 1920s. The production process uses phosgene, a chemical warfare gas, so any accident at a plant could cause an environmental disaster. SUSU scientists suggest a technology that does not use phosgene, i.e., isocyanate-free production.

This technology has proven its effectiveness in laboratory conditions, but it has not yet been used in real-world applications. Scientists must transfer production from laboratory conditions to plants. In addition, they are planning on using locally produced raw materials so the technology will be import-independent.

"Our partner company has an area prepared for the construction of the plant; this is a very difficult job that requires outside specialists. The university is performing a scientific study on the possibilities of applying this technology in production. This is the first step in creating a new industry in the Chelyabinsk Region and new jobs in the region. It is an undoubted advantage that this form of production will not harm the environment.

The fulfillment of this project will improve the quality and level of training of specialists in chemistry, chemical technology, energy and resource conservation, and ecology, and will expand the range and level of scientific research.

Source: South Ural State University

Sumitomo Chemical to Unveil New Family of LFT Liquid Crystal Polymers

 Sumitomo Chemical Advanced Technologies has developed and will soon commercialize a new family of long-fiber thermoplastic (LFT) compounds with high-performance liquid crystal polymer (LCP) matrices reinforced with 13-mm chopped carbon fiber or fiberglass.

Enhancing the Thermal and Mechanical Performance:

The new materials are currently undergoing customer evaluations in several industries and developmental quantities of two grades — SUMIKASUPER™ SCG-379 with 30-50% fiber-weight fraction (FWF) E-glass and SUMIKASUPER™ SCG-420 with 30-40% FWF high-modulus carbon fiber — are available to interested parties for testing.

An LCP matrix and the option for carbon fiber reinforcement will significantly upgrade the thermal and mechanical performance available from LFT technology and the products are being targeted to replace alloys of aluminum and magnesium as well as steel.

The vast majority of all commercial LFT products feature fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene (PP), although higher temperature polyamide 6 and 6/6 (PA6, PA6/6) have been gaining market share in this segment.

Beyond automotive, which still consumes the majority of LFT materials, the products have expanded into applications in the sporting goods, power tool, and appliance industries. And commercial carbon fiber reinforced LFT grades are available in PP, PA, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyethersulfone (PES).

The new LFT-LCPs grades have been under development for four years. The most challenging issue to overcome was finding the right fibers to maximize the performance of the LCP compounds.

“It has long been established that mechanical properties of plastics increase with longer fiber lengths,” explains Takayuki Sugiyama, Sumitomo product manager. “However, it also is well known that rarely do fibers longer than 2 mm survive the screw, runners, and gates to make it into the mold and the molded part during the injection molding process. Therefore, the advantage of starting with significantly longer fiber reinforcement in LFT materials is not being fully realized.”

Source: Sumitomo Chemical/Omnexus

The hydrogen scooter from BMW Partner TVS Motors

BMW G 310 models are manufactured at TVS in India, TVS also acquired the English motorcycle brand Norton. The latest development in India is the fuel cell scooter.

The iQube electric scooter from TVS, which can be pre-ordered in India, is still fairly new. Prices: converted from about 1400 euros. Deliveries of the top version of the iQube ST, which will operate at speeds above 80 km/h and have a range of 145 km, are scheduled to begin in August 2022. With a capacity of 4.5 kWh in the battery pack.

A fuel cell instead of a battery

The next advancement appears to be a fuel cell version, which is currently being developed at TVS. A big advantage of fuel cell technology: Hydrogen is refueled within a few minutes, as was previously the case with gasoline, which means the batteries do not need to be charged for hours. A relatively simple arrangement of components can be seen in the now-leaked patent drawing: Two hydrogen gas tanks are almost vertical under the handlebars, covered with plastic cladding, and the fuel cell is more horizontal under the seat. There is also a small battery for the onboard electronics and for the temporary storage of electro-generated electricity, as well as an electric motor close to the rear drove wheel.

Set up as simply as possible

The development specification here is likely to be “easy to assemble and repair”, as this is the only way to obtain the new technology with a chance of acceptance by Indian and Asian target groups. Some basic requirements for this have yet to be established, above all a network of a filling station for hydrogen, which is highly volatile and therefore difficult to transport and store. In addition, it must be clarified how to generate hydrogen, whether it is “green”, i.e. sustainable solution that not only reduces CO2 emissions locally but can also be persuasive in the general analysis.

Source:technewsinsight

SABIC Unveils SMT-Capable PEI-based Resin for Lighter 5G Macro Cells

 This new product addresses the growing trend toward smaller, lighter 5G macro cells by providing a possible replacement for metal. For example, ULTEM™ 3473 resin can help reduce the weight of an aluminum radio frequency (RF) cavity filter by up to 40 percent.

In a typical macro cell with 64 filters, this weight saving can be significant. Furthermore, this new resin can help facilitate the design of new, integrated antenna filter units (AFUs), which is not achievable with metal. Using injection molding, the dipole antenna matrix and RF cavity filter body can be produced as one piece. This approach simplifies production and may lead to additional weight savings and system cost reductions.

"During the close collaboration with the industry’s leading companies, we have witnessed a growing number of 5G infrastructure manufacturers validating the use of lighter materials to make it easier and faster to assemble, transport, and install these components," said David Wang, senior business manager, SABIC. “By offering an effective alternative to metal and helping enable the design of integrated antenna filter units, we aim to help them achieve these goals."

New ULTEM™ 3473 resin offers performance, processing, and assembly advantages over die-cast metal and thermoplastics such as filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The new SMT-capable resin enables components to withstand very high temperatures, up to 260°C, during the assembly process.

Metal-like Dimensional Stability

With a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) similar to that of metal, ULTEM™ 3473 resin provides dimensional stability under a wide range of operational temperatures, from -40°C to 150°C, over the long term. Dimensional stability of the material, in turn, helps ensure consistent signal filtering of the RF cavity filter by minimizing dimensional variations over these temperature ranges. In contrast, the CTE of filled PPS products increases significantly at temperatures above 85°C to 90°C, according to SABIC internal testing.

Apart from ULTEM™ 3473 resin’s advantages of low CTE and SMT capability, it provides excellent surface metallization performance during the chemical plating process. The result is good adhesion of the metal layer to the matrix, with low surface roughness. These factors help ensure low signal loss and long-term reliability.

Customers that opt for new integrated AFU designs made with ULTEM™ 3473 resin can significantly reduce cycle times compared to casting and machining aluminum. Injection molding of multiple one-piece components can help manufacturers increase throughput, respond more rapidly to the growing demand for 5G components, and potentially reduce the additional weight and system cost of 5G macro cells.

Source:SABIC

US chemical industry responsible for 25% of the country’s GDP

 The chemical industry in the US was responsible for $5.2 trillion (£4.3 trillion) – or approximately a quarter of the country’s GDP – and employed 4.1 million people in the country in 2020, according to a new analysis released by the US National Academies. The report, two years in the making, was drafted by a panel chaired by Mark Wrighton, a chemist and the president of George Washington University.

A report commissioned by the Royal Society of Chemistry and published in 2010 found that the chemical sciences contributed £258 billion to the UK’s economy – a fifth of the country’s GDP. The European Chemical Industry Council recently estimated that the UK chemicals industry annually invests more than £5.9 billion in R&D, which accounts for over 22% of the nation’s total spending in this area.

‘The role of chemistry in the US economy is extraordinarily large,’ Wrighton stated at the report’s launch. He emphasised that strengthening investment in chemical research could stimulate economic growth and at the same time advance environmental sustainability.

The report also concludes that chemical research has an ‘outsized economic value’ based on the spillover of chemical knowledge and products into other areas and the fact that chemical patents, as well as patents that rely on chemical knowledge, have a higher average value than other patents. Chemical patents accounted for 14% of all corporate patents between 2000 and 2020 while accounting for 23% of all value in the same time period.

The National Academies panel acknowledges, however, that analyzing the economic impact of chemical research suffers from a lack of data, including patent value estimations, widely available licensing terms data, and government grant data.

The National Academies recommends that all research grants and proposals involving chemistry should have an option to explain the ‘environmental impacts of the proposed research, under the ‘broader impacts’ statement. The panel suggests that such a statement should include a summary of potential environmental impacts, what is being done to mitigate those impacts, and any outcomes from the research that will directly affect environmental sustainability.

The report further proposes that the US National Institute of Standards and Technology should work with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, and other chemistry professional societies across the world to lead an effort that explores open-source, accessible, and standardized methods for chemical researchers to store, share, and use data from chemical experiments.

Once such standards and data repositories are established, its authors say, publishers should require researchers to submit all data related to reactions, measurements, or other chemical experiments to these established open-source databanks.

Source: chemistry world