Experiment and dynamic simulation of hydrogen recovery from hydrogen-containing gas mixtures via hydrate-membrane coupling method

Abstract

The recovery of hydrogen (H2) form H2-containing gas mixtures, such as petrochemical refinery tail gas, plays a important role in energy conservation and cost reduction. The hydrate-membrane coupling separation process has been demonstrated as a more efficient and energy-saving approach for H2 recovery. This study aims to achieve the synergistic matching of hydration and permeation, so as to explore the underlying mechanisms of coupling and facilitate subsequent experimental studies. In this work, an effective method was developed to calculate the gas consumption rate during the stable growth stage of hydrates. Furthermore, a dynamic matching model of the hydrate-membrane coupling mechanism was employed to simulate the variations in the separation process using infinitesimal methods. The simulations indicate that the H2 concentration of product gas and the feed gas treatment capacity of the coupling method outperform those of hydrate separation and membrane separation alone. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into an efficient and energy-saving method for H2 recovery from H2-containing gas mixtures, utilizing the hydrate-membrane coupling method. These findings hold promising prospects for practical application in the future.