Produce hydrogen (H2) from hydrocarbon feedstocks such as: natural gas, LPG, naphtha, refinery offgases, etc., using the Haldor Topsøe Convective Reformer (HTCR). Plant capacities range from 200 Nm3/h to 20,000 Nm3/h (200,000 scfd to 20 MMscfd) and hydrogen purity ranges from 99.5% to 99.999+% without steam export.
The HTCR-based hydrogen plant can be tailor-made to suit the customer’s needs with respect to feedstock flexibility. In a typical plant, feedstock is first desulfurized. Subsequently, process steam is added, and the mixture is fed to the HTCR. Process gases are reacted in a water-shift reactor and purified by pressure swing absorption (PSA) unit to obtain product-grade hydrogen. PSA offgases are used as fuel for the HTCR. Excess heat is efficiently used for process heating and steam generation.
A unique technology feature is high thermal efficiency. Product gas and flue gas are both cooled to about 600°C (1,100°F) to recover heat for the reforming reaction. Energy-efficient hydrogen plants based on the HTCR use high thermal efficiency and have no steam export.
Economics: HTCR-based plants provide the customer with a low-investment cost and low operating expenses. The plant can be supplied skid-mounted providing a short erection time. The plants have high flexibility, reliability and safety. Fully automated operation, startup and shutdown allow minimum operator attendance. Net energy efficiency of about 3.4–3.6 Gcal/1000 Nm3 is achieved depending on size and feedstock (360–380 Btu/scf).
Licensor: Haldor Topsøe A/S
