Optimal integration of electrolysis, gasification and reforming for stable hydrogen production

Abstract

Engineering industries such as petroleum and petrochemicals have strict requirements for the stability of hydrogen supply to ensure the safety and reliability of system operations. However, relying on a single hydrogen production technology is insufficient to meet the requirements of both stable and green hydrogen. This study proposes an integrated hydrogen production system combining water electrolysis, biomass gasification, and natural gas reforming to achieve stable and green hydrogen. To capitalise on the advantages of the individual technologies, the integration among the different hydrogen production methods considers not only energy but also materials. As a by-product of water electrolysis, oxygen can create a pure oxygen atmosphere for biomass gasification and natural gas reforming, thereby considerably improving the energy conversion rate. The heated gases from the biomass gasification transport thermal energy to the natural gas reforming. Stable and maximised hydrogen production can be achieved through optimal coordination of the three hydrogen production technologies and storage devices. Optimisation models are built for each component, and case studies show that the proposed integrated system exhibits energy efficiency of 64.19 %, which is 9.87 % higher than the 54.32 % efficiency of single-energy hydrogen production, and achieves an 67 % carbon emission reduction compared with the existing industrial technology. The integrated system proposed in this study provides a solution for stable hydrogen production under the broad requirement of carbon neutrality, and it will provide valuable guidance for future integrated hydrogen production system development and offer information that is of interest to operators and investors.