Exergoenvironmental analysis of a steam methane reforming process for hydrogen production |
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Authors: | A. Boyano G. Tsatsaronis |
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Affiliation: | a Institute for Energy Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Marchstr 18, 10587 Berlin, Germany b Department of Process Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Edificio de Ingenierías-Tafira Baja, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain c Maritime Academy of Szczecin, Institute of Marine Propulsion Plants Operation, Waly Chrobrego 1-2, 70500 Szczecin, Poland |
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Abstract: | Steam methane reforming (SMR) is one of the most promising processes for hydrogen production. Several studies have demonstrated its advantages from the economic viewpoint. Nowadays process development is based on technical and economical aspects; however, in the near future, the environmental impact will play a significant role in the design of such processes. In this paper, an SMR process is studied from the viewpoint of overall environmental impact, using an exergoenvironmental analysis. This analysis presents the combination of exergy analysis and life cycle assessment. Components where chemical reactions occur are the most important plant components from the exergoenvironmental point of view, because, in general, there is a high environmental impact associated with these components. This is mainly caused by the exergy destruction within the components, and this in turn is mainly due to the chemical reactions. The obtained results show that the largest potential for reducing the overall environmental impact is associated with the combustion reactor, the steam reformer, the hydrogen separation unit and the major heat exchangers. The environmental impact in these components can mainly be reduced by improving their exergetic efficiency. A sensitivity analysis for some important exergoenvironmental variables is also presented in the paper. |
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Keywords: | Hydrogen production Steam methane reforming process Exergoenvironmental analysis Exergy analysis Life cycle assessment Eco-indicator 99 |
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