Can we really electrify heavy industry? ️
In this episode, Imogen heads to the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands to visit Coolbrook. They are tackling one of the biggest challenges in the clean energy transition: decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement, and petrochemicals.
These industries contribute roughly 25% of global emissions; five times more than shipping and aviation combined. Coolbrook is leveraging aerodynamic principles and rocket science to reach temperatures of up to 1,700°C using only pure electricity.
Join us for a deep dive into the RotoDynamic Reactor (RDR), a machine that spins at 24,000 RPM to create supersonic shockwaves that collapse into heat in just milliseconds. It’s a game-changer and boasts astronomical potential to reduce the emissions of heavy industry.
Timestamps
0:00 What is Coolbrook?
0:33 The Massive Problem: Decarbonising Heavy Industry
2:06 Why Heat Pumps and Hydrogen Aren’t Enough
2:58 Borrowing Principles from Steam Turbines and Jet Engines
3:31 Welcome to the Brightlands Chemelot Campus
4:45 What is Steam Cracking?
5:56 The Scale of Potential Impact: Saving 2.4 Billion Tonnes of
6:44 Step 1: The Feedstock Station
7:25 Step 2: Preheating Naphtha and Steam
8:33 The 800kW Electric Motor: Spinning at 24,000 RPM
9:23 Inside the Reactor Room (Safe & Inert)
10:10 How the Reactor Works
10:50 Analysing the Results: 10% Better than Fossil Tech
12:43 Efficiency: 95% Conversion of Electrons to Heat
14:10 The Physics of Supersonic Shockwaves
15:51 Engineering Challenges: The 100MW Grid Problem
16:56 Conclusion: The Future of Clean Industry
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