Definition: Steam methane reforming (SMR) is a chemical reaction consisting in extracting dihydrogen from methane using steam at high temperature (700-1000C) at moderate pressures (15-30 bar). ), The use of microreactors (= what have been called units), which would make it possible to intensify the process, better manage heat losses and, by creating smaller installations, a decentralized production of hydrogen. Can Hydrogen Replace Methane? Transitioning to a Sustainable Future Methane reformer - Wikipedia This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 15:47. 4 Most methods work by exposing methane to a catalyst (usually nickel) at high temperature and pressure. When natural gas whose main component is methane (CH4) is used, the following reaction thus takes place during steam reforming: (methane + water vapor carbon monoxide + hydrogen). Difference Between Organic and Inorganic Phosphate, Difference Between Electroplating and Galvanisation, Difference Between Kaolinite and Montmorillonite, Difference Between Coking Coal and Thermal Coal. We can denote the term autothermal reforming as ATR. different chemical techniques, each one with advantages and disadvantages with respect to cost/benefit ratio. Steam reacts with natural gas, producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Sales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions. 2015 write between 180 and 340C, but I kept the figure from Garcia 2015). O Researchers are exploring other hydrogen production methods or pathways. '8Ul|@0,}6Xi#ZdsfjN |=E]B]fll;oVk\mi}u yRZyy?KNy){d#y^NJ"j5hKY8o There are many different reformers in industries where autothermal reformer and steam methane reformer are the most common ones. Figure 1 illustrates a conceptual design of ), Xiu G-H., Li P., Rodrigues A.E., (2002) Sorption-enhanced reaction process with reactive regeneration, Chemical Engineering Science, Volume 57, Issue 18, September 2002, Pages 3893-3908, Wi Y-J., Li P., Yuo J-G., Cunha A.F., Rodrigues A.E. + 4 This process is highly carbon-intensive, responsible for around 800 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, roughly equivalent to the total emissions of the . Study on The Characteristics of The Reforming of Methane: Review Satish Reddy, Sunil Vyas, Recovery of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen from PSA Tail Gas, Energy Procedia, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 149-154, ISSN 1876-6102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2009.01.022. 3 0 obj stream Abstract Majority of the worlds hydrogen gas is produced through steam reforming of natural gas. [25] Small-scale steam reforming units to supply fuel cells are currently the subject of research and development, typically involving the reforming of methanol, but other fuels are also being considered such as propane, gasoline, autogas, diesel fuel, and ethanol.[26][27]. Commercial hydrogen producers and petroleum refineries use steam-methane reforming to separate hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in methane (CH 4 2). Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. Energy & Financial Markets: What Drives Crude Oil Prices? endobj Required fields are marked *. In the three types of fuel reforming technologies, namely steam, partial oxidation, auto-thermal reforming, steam reforming has the advantages of low reaction temperature, low CO content and high H 2 content in the products and that is very favorable for mobile applications such as Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel . <> This reaction takes place in a reformer vessel having a high pressure mixture of steam. Generally, when the reaction mixture contains carbon dioxide, we can indicate the product ratio of hydrogen gas: carbon monoxide as 1: 1. Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. ( 2014, p.9 et seq. Flared gas and vented volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known problems in the offshore industry and in the on-shore oil and gas industry, since both release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. endobj Environmental Impact Comparison of Steam Methane Reformation and %PDF-1.4 Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For example, the hydrogen produced has a significantly lower degree of purity. 2 m (Garcia 2015, p. 89 et seq. m A nickel catalyst is used. providing both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of ATR is that the H2:CO ratio can be varied, which can be useful for producing specialty products. Research is underway to develop other ways to produce hydrogen and a few include: Hydrogen producers, marketers, government agencies, and other organizations might categorize or define hydrogen according to the energy sources for its production, and they use a color code to categorize hydrogen. h{ |EI $`&LpS9@$ Tt]D \$ d( 17 0 obj 2010-05-05T17:24:31+02:00 Conventional steam reforming plants operate at pressures between 200 and 600 psi (1440 bar) with outlet temperatures in the range of 815 to 925C. This includes cookies that are necessary for the operation of the site, as well as cookies that are only used for anonymous statistical purposes. One of the idea to make natural gas reforming low emissions, is to capture the carbon from the PSA tail gas (ex: Reddy & Vyas 2009) and other flue gas emitted by the reformer (= carbon capture and stockage). A notable design is the Foster-Wheeler terrace wall reformer. The reforming reaction takes place at high temperatures, making it slow to start up and requiring costly high-temperature materials. Moreover, these shapes consist of a low pressure drop that is important for this application. Energy use in homes, commercial buildings, manufacturing, and transportation. components (methane and carbon oxides) at low temperatures, typically 673 at 823 K [=400 to 550C]. o stream Due to the partial oxidation of the hydrocarbon, steam reforming can be carried out autothermally. <> Posted on July 3, 2022 by . The efficiency of steam reforming (when natural gas is used) is about 60 to 70 percent.2". xxSEv%+$&)SJ3. [8] High excess of steam is required, expressed by the (molar) steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio. 2 Alkylation is not without its drawbacks though, while it yields no aromatics alkylation does require the use of highly concentrated acids, such as Between Green and Blue: Exploring Turquoise Hydrogen On a large, commercial scale, the process may be referred to as power-to-gas, where power is electricity and hydrogen is gas. All rights reserved. Partial oxidation (POX) is a type of chemical reaction. Advantages and Disadvantages The capital cost of steam reforming plants is prohibitive for small to medium size applications because the technology does not scale down well. [12], The United States produces 910 million tons of hydrogen per year, mostly with steam reforming of natural gas. = Some advantages . Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. {\displaystyle [3]\qquad \mathrm {CH} _{4}+2\,\mathrm {H} _{2}\mathrm {O} \rightleftharpoons \mathrm {CO} _{2}+4\,\mathrm {H} _{2}\qquad \Delta H_{DSR}=165\ \mathrm {kJ/mol} }, As these reactions by themselves are highly endothermic (apart from WGSR, which is mildly exothermic), a large amount of heat needs to be added to the reactor to keep a constant temperature. Advantages: Methane is a natural gas so it is a major fuel. Solid oxide fuel cell technology (SOFC) is one of the more promising power generation concepts for a variety of stationary power applications. Steam-methane reforming is a widely used method of commercial hydrogen production. [16] Despite this, implementation of this technology remains problematic, costly, and increases the price of the produced hydrogen significantly. 10 0 obj / Greenhouse gas data, voluntary reporting, electric power plant emissions. Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? Additionally, these shapes have a low pressure drop which is advantageous for this application. 3. (Navarro et al. C 2 In this process, the water vapor required for the reaction can be added from the outside or can come from the respective feedstock itself. The capital cost of steam reforming plants is prohibitive for small to medium size applications because the technology does not scale down well. Waldron, W E;Hufton, J R;Sircar, S (2001). A byproduct of the process is carbon monoxide, which, however, can also be converted into hydrogen. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 17 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 1>> endobj We all are aware of the . Hydrogen gas produced in this manner is useful in the industrial synthesis of ammonia and other chemicals. The PSA works by adsorbing impurities from the syngas stream to leave a pure hydrogen gas. G To obtain pure hydrogen at the end, pressure swing adsorption systems or caustic absorption gas scrubbers are used. [Being economical and producing 99.9% pure hydrogen, a lot of As an alternative to fossil fuels, biomass can also be used for steam reforming. [16][17], Autothermal reforming (ATR) uses oxygen and carbon dioxide or steam in a reaction with methane to form syngas. advantages and disadvantages of steam methane reforming