Blue Hydrogen Production

via

Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) with

CCS
Process Descriptions

&

Life Cycle Assessment

Typical Steam Methane Reforming Plant with
Carbon Capture and Storage
CO2 sequestration
CO2 compression
or usage

CO2 recovery CO2

section
Steam

Flue gas

Natural gas
Desulphurization Shift reaction CO2 removal
Pre-heat section Reforming section
section section section

Natural gas (fuel)

Recycle Hydrogen

Figure showing SMR block flow diagram

Hydrogen gas
 Steam Methane Process Flow Diagram
 The natural gas feed is desulphurized in
order to reduce the sulphur content to
ppb to avoid reformer and LT converter
catalysts poisoning.

 The desulphurized natural gas is

reformed with steam into synthesis gas
(H2,CO, CO2 , H2O)

 In the Water Gas Shift reactors, the CO

is converted into CO2.

 Absorption of CO2 from hydrogen gas

Figure showing process flow diagram of SMR unit
 CO2 Absorption Unit using aMDEA as
solvent
Hydrogen gas
Solvent: activated methyl diethanolamine
(aMDEA) solution.

 CO2 is absorbed from the hydrogen gas

with lean and semi lean aMDEA
solution.

 Two Step regeneration of aMDEA

solvent
 Flash vessel regenerated solution
(semi lean)
 Stripper regenerated solution
(lean)

Figure showing process flow diagram hydrogen purification unit

 CO2 Recovery from Flue Gas using KS-1
solvent

Solvent: KS-1 solution (modified MEA

solution )

 CO2 is absorbed from the hydrogen gas

with lean and semi lean KS-1 solution

 Regeneration of KS-1 solution in stripper

with steam as the stripping agent

Figure showing process flow diagram for CO 2 recovery from flue gas
 SMR Process Parameters and Catalysts
Figure showing hydrogen production from SMR
Table showing SMR process parameters and catalysts design basis
HT CO LT CO
Unit Hydrogen H2S Reformer Combustion Converter Converter
ator Absorber chamber Design Parameters Value

Inlet Hydrogen production capacity 18300 Ton/hr

Temperature 350 360 500 38 350 200
(°C) Hydrogen Purity 99%
Outlet
Temperature 380 380 800 1100 450 230 Natural gas feed 58,000 Nm3/hr
(°C)

Cu- oxides of Natural gas fuel 32,000 Nm3/hr

Catalyst Co-Mo/ ZnO Ni based promoted Cu, Z, and
Ni-Mo Fe/Cr based Cr or Al
based Steam generation 210 Ton/hr
(CH4)S + ZnO + H2S CH4 + O2 ⇔
Chemical H2 → CH4 ⇔ ZnS + CH4 + 2H2O CO2 + 2H2O CO + H2O ⇔ CO2 + H2 + Steam consumption 165 Ton/hr
equation + H2S H2O ⇔ CO2 + + heat heat
4H2 - heat
CO2 generated (from SMR) 126 Ton/hr

CO2 quantity after absorption 0.4 Ton/hr

CO2 generated (flue gas) 66.3 Ton/hr

CO2 emission after absorption 0.16 Ton/hr

SO2 emission (flue gas) 0.027 Ton/hr

Hydrogen Plant Efficiency 80%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process

• Goal and Scope

• Inventory analysis
• Impact assessment
• Interpretation
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process

1.0 Goal and Scope

Goal: Identification and quantitative analysis of all environmental impacts
Scope: Evaluation of emissions from the production process excluding emissions
from;
• Extraction, production, and transportation of natural gas to the facility.
• Transportation of hydrogen gas produced and CO2 captured.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
1.1 Impact Category
• Global warming potential (GWP): CO2, CH4, and N2O, in CO2 equivalent

• Acidification potential: in SO2 emissions equivalent

• Eutrophication: NOx emissions to water.
• Ozone and human health: NOx
• Particle emissions

• For this study, only the CO2 GWP and SO2 acidification impact have been assessed.
Other GHGs emissions are substantially smaller (Howarth & Jacobson, 2021),
accounting for less than 1% of the overall GWP (Spath, et al., 2001). It is expected to
have spent catalyst from reactors every 5 to 10 years. (Pamela L. & Margeret K., 2001),
 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
1.2 LCA Limitation
• Actual plant data could not be accessed, the composition of natural gas is adapted from National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report in 2001

Table showing composition of Natural gas

CH4 C2H6 C3H8 i-C4H10 n-C4H10 i-C5H12 i-C5H12 C6H14 C7H16 N2 H2S S
% % % % % % % % % % % %
90.85
3.4 1.48 0.09 0.14 0.08 0.08 0.1 0.11 3.67 0.36 0.52

1.2 LCA Assumptions

1) Input and output inventory was calculated by mass balance and compared with literature values.
2) The CO2 and SO2 emissions of the SMR process was calculated primarily on mass balance.
3) Complete combustion of the natural gas
4) Power generation embedded within the SMR process from the waste heat
5) The facility location is United Kingdom
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
Table showing hydrogen plant design parameters
Design Parameters Values

Hydrogen production capacity 18,303 Ton/hr

Hydrogen Purity 99%

Natural gas feed 58,000 Nm3/hr

Natural gas fuel 32,000 Nm3/hr

Steam generation 210 Ton/hr

Steam consumption 165 Ton/hr

CO2 generated (from SMR) 126 Ton/hr

CO2 quantity after absorption 0.4 Ton/hr

CO2 generated (flue gas) 66.3 Ton/hr

CO2 emission after absorption 0.16 Ton/hr

SO2 emission (flue gas) 0.027 Ton/hr

Hydrogen Plant Efficiency 80%

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
1.4 System Boundary Natural gas
Extraction

Gate to gate methodology

Desulphurizatio
n section

Reforming Flue gas

Natural gas as fuel cleaning CO2
section
Water
Electricity Steam
Water gas shift
Atmospheric air
section

CO2 removal
section

CO2 Hydrogen gas

Figure showing System boundary hydrogen production via SMR process

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
2.0 Inventory Analysis
2.1 Functional Unit
• According to the plant design specifications shown in the table below, this functional unit is
based on the production of 1 ton/hr of hydrogen gas. (Ricardo Energy and Environment, 2023)
Table showing inventory data for hydrogen production via SMR. Table showing data with reference to world reserves, regional
Input Inventory consumptions, and regional emissions for the year 2016.
Natural gas 3.7 ton Natural gas Water
World Reserve (Ton)
Process water 18.8 ton
Electricity 1.13 MJ
UK regional
Output Inventory consumption (Ton/yr)
CO2 (Grey Hydrogen) 10.5 ton GWP (KgCO2/yr.) Acidification
UK regional (KgSO2/yr.)
CO2 (Blue Hydrogen) 0.022 ton
emissions
SO2 ton
Data adapted from (Ricardo Energy and Environment, 2023) and
Macrotrends for UK gas-emissions
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
3.0 LCA Impact Assessment
3.1 Impact Score and Normalization Score
Conducted based on the environmental impact category, impact scores and normalization scores of;
 Non- renewable resource source (natural gas and water)
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛=
∑𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒= 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒 ∑( )
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑐𝑒

 Other impacts;
• Global Warming Potential

Acidification Potential
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Hydrogen
Production through SMR Process
• 4.0 Impact and Normalization Score Result
Table showing results of the Life Cycle Impact Assessment for hydrogen production via SMR
Global warming potential Acidification potential
Non-renewable energy source

Impact Scores (per )

Normalization Scores (

• Interpretation of Results
Production process of hydrogen posses a negative impact on the environment.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider SMR process improvements in terms of
resources used and alternative process