Major ways of enhancing efficiency and economy of membrane method of special-purity hydrogen production from natural gas

• Published in: Chemical and petroleum engineering Vol. 46; no. 11-12; pp. 726 - 733
• Main Authors: Vandyshev, A. B., Kulikov, V. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.03.2011; Springer
• Subjects: Analysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Computational efficiency; Computing time; Conversion; Cryogenic Engineering; Economic aspects; Economics; Gas industry; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogen; Hydrogen as fuel; Hydrogen production; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Industrial Pollution Prevention; Membranes; Methane; Methods; Mineral Resources; Natural gas; Production and Use of Industrial Gases; Vacuum Engineering; Hydrogen Concentration; Membrane Apparatus; Membrane Unit; Vapor Extraction; Flow Scheme
• ISSN: 0009-2355; 1573-8329
• DOI: 10.1007/s10556-011-9409-y

The major potential lines of enhancing efficiency and economy of membrane units for producing special-purity (super-purity) hydrogen from methane are mathematically analyzed. It is shown that one of the potential ways of enhancing efficiency is improving the process flow structure and modes of operation of the unit with a view to increasing hydrogen concentration in the gas phase prior to membrane separation. In another case, the efficiency of special-purity hydrogen production can be enhanced in the simple high-temperature converter–membrane unit system by combining membrane extraction of hydrogen with catalytic conversion of methane and selection of process parameters.