Hydrogen Production System with CO2 Recycling

The patent captures carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted as waste and converts it into a useful reactant for the mixed reforming process. The captured CO2 is fed back into the reforming reactor where it reacts with methane to produce additional hydrogen, thereby transforming a harmful emission into a beneficial resource that enhances both hydrogen production and carbon utilization efficiency.

Instead of discarding carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, the system recovers and recycles the CO2 back into the production process. The carbon dioxide capture unit separates CO2 from the reforming effluent, and this recovered CO2 is then fed back to the mixed reforming reactor, creating a closed-loop system that maximizes carbon utilization and minimizes emissions.

Rather than storing captured CO2 in geological formations, the system converts it into a valuable reactant for hydrogen production. This approach eliminates the need for specific geological structures and makes CO2 reduction technology applicable anywhere hydrogen production occurs, significantly improving geographical adaptability while maintaining effective CO2 emission reduction.

The system uses the captured CO2 to serve the production process itself by feeding it back as a reactant in the mixed reforming reaction. This self-service approach allows the system to reduce its own emissions while enhancing its own productivity, eliminating dependence on external geological storage infrastructure and enabling deployment in diverse locations.

The mixed reforming process with CO2 recycling creates a more stable and continuous hydrogen production system compared to direct renewable electrolysis. By using thermal processes with heat integration and CO2 recirculation, the system can maintain consistent production rates less susceptible to weather fluctuations, while still achieving low CO2 emissions through the carbon recycling mechanism.

The system changes the operational parameters by using thermal energy and chemical reactions rather than direct electrical conversion. The mixed reforming process operates at elevated temperatures with controlled CO2 partial pressures, creating a more stable chemical environment for hydrogen production that is less sensitive to external weather variability while maintaining environmental benefits.

The patent merges the carbon dioxide capture function with the hydrogen production process by integrating the CO2 capture unit and recycler directly into the reforming system. This combined approach allows CO2 separation and recycling to occur within the same production facility, reducing the need for separate, standalone systems and thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.

The mixed reforming reactor serves multiple functions: it produces hydrogen from methane, utilizes captured CO2 as a reactant, and maintains flexible operation with various hydrocarbon feeds. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be separate processes into a single versatile unit, reducing the number of components needed and limiting the increase in system complexity while achieving superior CO2 emission reduction.