Today Cenate started operation at its mini-pilot reactor in Askim. The reactor is initially split in two process chambers and shall be used to further develop Cenate’s new and proprietary silicon based anode materials for use in future lithium ion batteries. In 2021 also a third process step will be added. The mini-pilot is designed to be able to deliver material samples from a few grams and up to 2 or even 10 kg at a later stage.
The planning of the new mini-pilot was initiated in June 2020 and an impressive amount of work has been completed in the past 5 months. – Project Manager Sverre Sørensen has done an excellent job in sourcing materials and containers, and managing electricians and pipers so that the project was completed on time and budget, says Cenate CEO Erik Sauar. He also wants to applaud Cenate CTO Martin Kirkengen for taking lead in preparing and completing on time the extensive HSE documentation and operating procedures that were necessary.
Already in the third week of operation the first materials are planned to be shipped to some of the world’s leading battery producers in order to verify the latest improvements.
The R&D to be carried out in the mini-pilot is funded by Cenate as well as the Norwegian Research Council.
