Generate hydrogen for reformulated gasoline and clean diesel requirements

This paper reports that refiners requiring incremental H2 between 25% and 50% of base steam methane reforming (SMR) production can benefit by expanding the existing SMR with oxygen secondary reforming technology. The incremental cost of additional H2 is significantly lower than for a new grassroots facility, primarily due to lower capital cost. Lower emission levels, compared to a grassroots facility, provide an attractive environmental alternative. The need for expensive emissions control technology is eliminated and project schedule time is saved by streamlining the air permitting process. Traditional approaches to debottlenecking and expanding an existing SMR plant are costly and result in limited H2 production. New diesel regulations and reformulated gasoline limits, combined with potential cutbacks in catalytic reformer operation, typically require 5 to 20 MMscfd of H2, depending on crude type processed. Oxygen secondary reforming can provide 10 to 20 MMscfd of incremental capacity for a nominal 40 MMscfd SMR plant