Hydrogen Steam Methane Reforming: The Workhorse for Hydrogen Production for Refineries

Foster Wheeler Seminar at Asia-Tech 2012, Bangkok

Luigi Bressan Director of Process & Technologies
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Agenda

The hydrogen production plant The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM steam reformer Hydrogen plant optimization design steps Conclusions

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Hydrogen Production Plant

Steam methane reforming (SMR) continues to be the leading
technology for hydrogen generation

Although SMR is a mature technology, incremental economic

improvements are being made by continuous development

The plants consist of four basic sections:

1. Treatment to remove sulphur traces and other contaminants 2. Steam methane reformer, which converts feedstock and steam to syngas at high temperature and moderate pressure 3. CO shift reactor(s) to increase hydrogen yield 4. Hydrogen purification; modern plants use a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to achieve final product purity

In addition to the core process sections, compression is often needed to raise the feedstock and product hydrogen pressures.

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Hydrogen Production Plant

Steam

Steam drum Deaerator

Hydrogen

PSA

Hydrogenator Desulphuriser Pre-reforming

Terrace WallTM steam reformer

CW

Shift reactor

Comb. air Air preheating Natural gas Waste heat boiler Make up water
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The Hydrogen Production Plant

Refineries can use different feedstocks, subject to internal price and availability: Natural gas Refinery gas LPG Light naphtha Heavy naphtha . and even straight-run naphtha Optimising hydrogen plant design and operating parameters depends on the economic values attributed to the feedstock, fuel and steam The characteristics of the feedstock will define the processing capabilities of the plant
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The Hydrogen Production Plant

The optimum is achieved by minimising :

(Feedstock (Gcal/h) + Fuel (Gcal/h) Steam (Gcal/h)) / H2 flowrate
where steam is the net export flow rate of steam from the plant

With the proposed scheme a net thermal efficiency of less than 3.0 Gcal per Nm3 of produced hydrogen can be achieved when starting from natural gas

The economic optimum is achieved by minimising:

(Feedstock*CostFeedstock + Fuel*CostFuel Steam*ValueSteam) / H2 flow Accurate pricing of feed, fuel and steam allows a fit-for-purpose design for the hydrogen plant

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Upward Firing Burners

Slightly Sloped Walls

Two Firing Levels for Uniform Heat Input

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Terrace Wall TM main process features

Side-fired heater with burners located along lateral walls with flames
vertically arranged.

Radiant section comprising a firebox with a single row of catalyst

tubes with two terraces on both sides of the tubes on which the burners are installed.

Catalyst tubes are flanged at the top to allow loading and unloading
of the catalyst.

Heat is supplied via ultra-low-NOX burners (forced- or natural-draft)

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Terrace Wall TM main process features Burners are placed at two different levels in the combustion chamber, equipped with a double set of firing tips, one for refinery fuel gas and one for vent gas from PSA unit Each terrace capable of being independently heated to provide the particular heat flux desired in its zone Controlled delivery of heat helps control hotspots, maximising tube life The incline of the wall maximises the effectiveness of the terrace to that portion of the heat-absorbing surface Flame impingement on catalyst tubes is practically impossible in the Terrace WallTM design

2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Terrace Wall TM main process features

Temp vs Distance Down Tube

Heat Flux vs. Distance Down Tube

Temperature

Heat Flux

Distance Down Tube

Process Fluid Log. (Side Fired TMT) Top Fired TMT T Terrace Wall TMT Radiant Fired TMT

Distance Down Tube

Terrace Wall Top Fired Radiant Wall Fired

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2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved

The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Terrace Wall TM main process features

Outlet pigtails arranged vertically providing better access for easier

welding and nipping, removing need for a cold bottom flange for catalyst removal

Vacuum-type catalyst removal systems allow removal of catalyst via

the tube inlet flange

Reduced number of burners by about 30% due to increased

capacity, with new burners using staged fuel and air combustion techniques for lower NOx emissions

Process gas boiler is natural circulation type, located at grade level in the middle of the radiant cell, avoiding need for a transfer line.

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The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Building Block Design
Convection section suited for any steam production TWIN CELL High H2 production Add auxilliary burners for maximum steam production INCREASE CELL LENGTH For larger units

SINGLE CELL Low H2 production

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The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Modular Design & Assembly Modules include all components from inlet manifold to outlet manifold Increase productivity Improve quality & schedule Shippable by truck Minimize high alloy field welds Reduce erection time & costs

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The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

Simple, Safe & Reliable Simplicity Start up on natural draft Easy and safe light-off of all burners Natural draft capability Simple manifold system Nipping in operation Extend run length Operations & maintenance Clear outboard access to burners Good visibility of catalyst tubes Good visibility of burner flames
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The Foster Wheeler Terrace WallTM Steam Reformer

.. in summary Long tube and catalyst life Natural draft capability Low net power consumption Optimized radiant design Reduced plot area Extended modular construction

and we continue to develop our design to deliver further performance enhancements

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Hydrogen plant optimization

Evaluation of client design basis and specific requirements Hydrogen quality Feed quality, characteristics and cost Fuel quality, characteristics and cost Utilities characteristics, costs and availabilty Site constraints Layout limitations

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Hydrogen plant optimization

Selection of optimum plant configuration Purification steps Integration of pre-reforming Selection of S/C ratio and shift technology Selection of steam reformer outlet temperature Pressure profile analysis

... The optimum plant configuration is the one that minimizes opex with acceptable level of capex.
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Hydrogen plant optimization

Case 1 = steam value 85% fuel cost Case 2 = steam value 115% fuel cost
10200 10100 10000
Operating costs ($/h)

9900 9800 9700 9600 9500 9400 9300 9200 9100 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 Fuel/Feed price

MTS case 2 HTS+LTS case 2 MTS case 1 HTS+LTS case 1

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Hydrogen plant optimization

Optimization of selected configuration Detailed simulation with adequate software Pinch analysis Review of design alternatives with NPV Optimization of plant pressure profile HSE review (safeguarding philosophy) Control system definition Evaluation of turndown cases for both plant and fired heater performance perspective Regular contacts with catalyst vendors Careful evaluation of PSA parameters and performances

.....each plant parameter is deeply analyzed and then selected

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Hydrogen plant optimization

Evaluation of H2 production costs & variations with economics parameters
Technical Parameters
Plant size Feed/Fuel type Plant configuration 100,000 Nm3/h Natural gas Prereformer, MTS, A/P @ 520 C, S/C=2.2

Economic Parameters
Plant Cost IRR (full equity) Plant life Feed/Fuel cost Steam credit Other Parameters 114 MM$ 10 15 years 4/8/12 $/MMBTU 0.9 feed/fuel cost Taxes= 20%, Inflation=2%
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Hydrogen plant optimization

Opex /Capex trend (plant life 15 years) Vs. Feed Cost
160

140

135 Euro/1000Nm3

120

H2 Cost [Euro/1000 Nm3]

100

100 Euro/1000Nm3
CAPEX FIXED COST

80

60

60

OPEX

40

20

FEED 4 $/Mmbtu IRR 10

FEED 8 $/Mmbtu IRR 10

FEED 12 $/Mmbtu IRR 10

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Conclusions
General considerations There is not a single solution for designing a high performance hydrogen plant Client-specific requirements may affect the final plant configuration Feed, fuel and steam values are of paramount importance for selecting the best plant configuration Electric power and cooling water can also be considered The lowest net energy solution may not provide the lowest-cost solution. Foster Wheeler specially designs your hydrogen plant to ensure that the highest performance, together with the most cost-effective solution, are both achieved
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Thank you
www.fwc.com refining@fwc.com

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2012 Foster Wheeler. All rights reserved