Increasing hydrogen plant capacity A validated model enabled analysis of five potential revamps for an increase in hydrogen production

摘要

The need for more hydrogen in refineries increases in response to new regulations or for more flexibility in processing heavier feeds.This need can be compensated with hydrogen rich gas(the platformer unit's net gas)and with 99.9% pure hydrogen.As hydrogen rich gas(HRG)cannot be used in hydrocrack-ers,a revamp of the hydrogen unit is required in such cases.There are several capacity revamp options for steam methane reformers.This study analyses the effects of these options on hydrogen production capacity and on the equipment of the unit.Basic hydrogen sources in refineries are steam methane reformers and platforming/reforming processes.For high pressure operation,high purity hydrogen is needed.The main route is steam methane reforming(SMR)of natural gas followed by shift reactions.These shift reactions can take place at high temperature(HTS),medium temperature(MTS),or low temperature(LTS).For these reactions,hydrocarbon feed is combined with HRG for pretreatment and steam.