Profitability Analysis of Selected Steam Methane Reforming Methods for Hydrogen Production

Abstract

One of the matured methods for producing hydrogen in bulk is steam methane reforming (SMR). The two commercial aspects of producing hydrogen from SMR are SMR with shift reactor (SR) and SMR with dry methane reforming (DRM). Although SMR with SR produces high hydrogen yield, it emits a large quantity of carbon dioxide (CO2). On the contrary, SMR and DRM produce low hydrogen yield but favorably emit a low quantity of CO2. However, it is not obvious which of these methods is more favourable economically. Consequently, using UNISIM Software Package, this study investigates three SMR methods namely SMR with SR, SMR with DRM and SMR with the combination of DRM and SR for the purpose of determining the most favourable route for producing hydrogen. This was done on the basis of feedstock rate of 100 kmol/hr of methane which reacted with 250 kmol/hr of steam for 8000 hrs annually using the rate of CO2 and CO emissions (COx) and the plant net profit percentage as performance indices. The profitability analysis shows that SMR/SR process is the most profitable process with a net profit percentage of 41.3%. Moreover, SMR/SR process has the highest yield and interestingly lowest COx emission rate. It is therefore concluded that the most favourable process route, technically and economically, is SMR/SR for the production of hydrogen using methane as feedstock.