HPQ Silicon Inc. announced that technology provider PyroGenesis Canada Inc. has started the final GEN3 PUREVAPTM Quartz Reduction Reactor (QRR) high-temperature dynamic test. This is the last assessment step, after which feedstock will be fed into the system, so that process improvement tests can begin. The seventy-two (72) hours non-stop duration test began on October 25, 2022.

ADVANCING ON SCHEDULE IMPLEMENTING A CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO QRR PILOT PLANT START: The GEN3 PUREVAPTM QRR Pilot (the "Pilot Plant") is a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art prototype that operates under harsh conditions such as extremely high temperatures (> 2,000 C) and under vacuum. The ongoing high-temperature dynamic blank test (~ 1,850 C) aims to confirm that all the Pilot Plant compounds can operate within key design parameters. After the dynamic blank test, the Pilot Plant will be cooled down to allow the completion of a visual inspection of all important components of the reactor.

Once the inspection is completed, the Pilot Plant will be ready to receive feedstock material. The Pilot Plant is in the final pre-production testing phase, which includes 4 process improvement tests. For each test, the system will be ramped up to full design parameters, it will be used to produce Silicon materials, allowed to cool, and then inspected to collect wear and tear data.

It will then be prepared for the next series of tests after all systems pass inspection. The goal of the QRR Pilot plant program is to operate the system 24/7 for the time required to collect all the information necessary to advance to the next phase, building commercial sized GEN4 PUREVAPTM QRR systems. During this phase, the system will produce High Purity Silicon material on a semi continuous mode, and HPQ will be sending out samples to potential buyers.