The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), based in Trondheim, Ålesund and Gjøvik, represents academic excellence in technology and the natural sciences, while also spanning disciplines such as humanities, social sciences, medicine, architecture, arts and design. NTNU is internationally recognised for its strong research capacity and close collaboration with industry, particularly in energy systems and process engineering.
Within the NEXTFUEL project, NTNU plays acentral scientific and technical role, leading Work Package 3 (WP3) on the development of advanced simulation models. These models form the backbone for supporting the project demonstrator (WP5) and for enabling futurescale-up activities (WP6).
As a consortium partner, NTNU builds the foundations formodelling process plants and their surrounding ecosystems, providing tools that are applied both at demonstrator level and in scaling scenarios aimed at maximising impact. A key contribution lies in the analysis ofscalable methanol production pathways, where NTNU leads activities for the Norwegian context. This work is carried out in close collaboration with CERTH, Topeka, Topsoe and Molgas, ensuring cross-country and cross-sectoral relevance.
A major focus of NTNU’s work is theintegration of system flexibility, combining biomethanol production with added hydrogen and CO₂. Through advanced simulation tools, NTNU supports theoptimisation of larger, interconnected energy systems, strengthening the project’s contribution to sustainable fuel production.
NTNU also plays an essential role inbuilding trust in advanced simulation environments and methodologies. This is achieved through extensive scientific publications, technical reports, conference participation, and media dissemination, targeting primarily the academic community and biogas plant owners involved in the design of new facilities. In parallel, NTNU contributes significantly to the body of literature one SMR technologies and related simulation methods, reinforcing the project’s scientific credibility. Another important aspect for NTNU is to integrate the research from NextFuel into the education of engineering students.
As a long-term outcome of successful dissemination and exploitation activities, NTNU hopes to initiate new research collaborations and activities focused on utilisation and further development of eSMR, extending the impact of NEXTFUEL well beyond the project’s lifetime.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 101136225.
