Byproduct Hydrogen Network Design Using Pressure Swing Adsorption and Recycling Unit for the Petrochemical Complex

Abstract

Hydrogen, which has gained attention as the next-generation renewable energy source among byproducts, is a raw material that is commonly produced and consumed in all petrochemical complexes. It is also a primary energy source in energy systems that can considerably reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, an explosive demand for hydrogen is expected in the future. A considerable amount of hydrogen is produced as byproducts in industrial complexes such as petrochemical plants and oil refineries within a petrochemical complex; however, this hydrogen is mostly used as fuel internally. If a considerable amount of hydrogen that is used as fuel can be recycled as raw material for an energy source or for other processes, hydrogen can be of a considerably higher value than it is at present. In this research, we have designed a byproduct hydrogen network between a source and a sink within a petrochemical complex. We determined the minimum fresh hydrogen and recovery hydrogen that are needed for forming a material exchange network through hydrogen pinch analysis and finally designed the hydrogen recycling network between the source plant and the sink plant by building a network optimization problem in which the cost and constraints needed to build the network were considered.