Strong pipeline of future clients
D : Diameter of the swirl bed C : Capacity as if wood with density of 250 kg/m
Scale up factor 40
2025: Success
Successful processing of 100+ residue types
2022: Due diligence NER technical and commercial due diligence Backstop performance guarantee
2026: Start deployment of multiple drying and torrefaction units D = 4,500 mm C = 16.7tph
2024: Torrefaction D = 1,600mm C = 1.7 tph 2024: Torrefaction D = 3,000mm C = 6.7 tph 2024: Drying D = 3,500mm C = 10 tph
2020: Torrefaction First commercial torrefaction unit D = 2,700mm C = 4.2tph
2020: Patented Yilkins’ technology patented
2025/2026: Demo plant Demo plant improvement
2018: Drying First
2016: Prototyping First developed prototype D = 1,000mm C = 0.42tph
commercial drying plant D = 1,500mm C = 2.5tph
2015: Founding Yilkins was founded by Voncken and Bergman
Scale up factor 10
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Figure 4 Technical maturity curve for Yilkins’ swirling fluidised bed platform, showing progression from prototype and commercial units towards larger drying and torrefaction capacity
Fast heat transfer, plug-flow solids movement, tight residence time control, and quick product cooling have been validated in operating plants and refined through practical experience. The technology is capable of producing homogeneously torrefied products with a high energy yield and well-defined properties. Current scale-up efforts are now focused on engineering optimisation. The technology has evolved into a standard large-scale Swirling Fluidized Bed reactor design with diameters of up to approximately 4.5m. Capacity increases are achieved through equipment sizing, thermal and solids-handling design, and replication of process lines, without changing the underlying process physics. This modular approach can help reduce technical risk. The modular approach also supports skid- based configurations for distributed biomass supply chains. Locating pretreatment facilities closer to biomass sources could help reduce the need to transport low-density feedstocks while supplying a consistent intermediate product to centralised gasification and fuel production plants. Integrating torrefaction into the BTL value chain Effective integration is important when incorporating torrefaction into a BTL or hybrid
BTL/PTL value chain. In a BTL or hybrid BTL/ PTL line-up, the upgraded biomass must connect reliably with gasification, syngas treating, the Shell Fischer–Tropsch Process, the Shell Wax Hydroconversion Process, and the associated utilities. As Figure 5 shows, drying and torrefaction sit at the front end of the integrated XTL line-up, alongside densification and milling. These steps prepare the biomass for solids gasification to produce syngas for conversion into advanced biofuels and e-fuels. This integration matters because each stage affects the next. Feedstock preparation influences gasifier performance while syngas quality affects the Shell Fischer–Tropsch Process. Utilities, off-gases, recycle streams, and heat integration all influence efficiency, operability, and project economics. Using pellets helps decouple feedstock preparation from gasification and synthesis, enabling supply chain variations to be managed while providing a consistent feed for downstream processing. The collaboration between Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Yilkins goes beyond matching one upstream technology with one downstream process to create a fully integrated line-up in which torrefaction produces a more suitable gasifier feed. Shell’s process integration experience helps connect that front-end step with the rest of the XTL value chain.
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
46
Powered by FlippingBook