Membrane Assisted Hydrogen Reforming Process
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydrogen production from natural gas through reforming processes emits significant amounts of carbon due to the use of natural gas for heat generation.
Innovation Solution
The method involves desulphurizing natural gas, converting higher hydrocarbons to methane, and using a combination of heat-exchanger and autothermal reformers to produce hydrogen while recycling heat and reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, membrane-based hydrogen separation is employed to enhance efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If natural gas is burned to generate heat for the endothermic reforming reaction, then the reforming process can proceed, but significant amounts of carbon emissions are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by capturing the waste heat that would otherwise be discarded from the exothermic combustion process and redirecting it to provide the necessary heat for the endothermic reforming reaction. This converts the harmful waste heat into a beneficial resource, eliminating the need to burn additional natural gas for heating and thereby reducing carbon emissions while maintaining the reforming process
2Object-generated harmful factors
If waste heat from autothermal reformers is recycled to heat-exchanger reformers, then carbon emissions are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the autothermal reformer and heat-exchanger reformer into an integrated system where the waste heat from the autothermal reformer is directly recycled to the heat-exchanger reformer through heat exchangers. This combining of functions reduces overall system complexity compared to separate systems while achieving carbon emission reductions through efficient heat recovery
3Productivity
If membrane-based hydrogen separation is employed, then hydrogen production efficiency is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs membrane-based separation technology using thin film structures that selectively allow hydrogen to pass through while retaining other gases. This approach enhances hydrogen production efficiency by providing continuous separation and improving hydrogen purity, while the membrane technology itself offers a compact and relatively simple implementation compared to traditional separation methods
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces carbon emissions by utilizing waste heat from autothermal reformers and achieves efficient hydrogen production through in-situ membrane-based separation, leading to a more intensified and environmentally friendly process.
Implementation Method 1
an effluent from the ATR passes through a heat exchanger in the HER
Implementation Method 2
hydrogen is separated from the raw hydrogen stream
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for producing hydrogen are provided. An exemplary method includes desulphurizing a natural gas stream to form a sweet gas stream, converting higher hydrocarbons in the sweet gas stream to methane to form a methane stream, and converting a portion of the methane in the methane stream to a methane/syngas stream. A further portion of the methane in the methane/syngas stream is converted to form a syngas stream. The syngas stream is converted to a raw hydrogen stream and hydrogen is separated from the raw hydrogen stream.