Shell has increased process confidence and reduced risk within its experiments in gas and oil fuel cells, through the introduction of a new cleanroom facility from Angstrom Technology.

During these classified experiments which aim to develop new energy technologies, pure oxygen is introduced to cell units. This is a high-risk process as oxygen could cause any contaminants, such as dust or grease, to ignite and burn hotter and faster than fire.

For such processes, oxygen cleaning is routinely conducted to ensure equipment is free of contaminants. The oxygen cleaning of these specialist parts was previously outsourced but inspections found that cleanliness levels weren’t acceptable for the experiments, so Shell upskilled and brought this process in-house to gain control over this high-risk and critical process.