Optimization and Analysis of an Integrated Liquefaction Process for Hydrogen and Natural Gas Utilizing Mixed Refrigerant Pre-Cooling

Fengyuan Yan (), Jinliang Geng, Guangxin Rong, Heng Sun, Lei Zhang and Jinxu Li
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Fengyuan Yan: Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Jinliang Geng: National Engineering Research Center for Oil and Gas Pipeline Transmission Safety/Key Laboratory of Ministry of Petroleum Engineering/Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Oil and Gas Transmission and Distribution Technology, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Guangxin Rong: National Engineering Research Center for Oil and Gas Pipeline Transmission Safety/Key Laboratory of Ministry of Petroleum Engineering/Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Oil and Gas Transmission and Distribution Technology, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Heng Sun: National Engineering Research Center for Oil and Gas Pipeline Transmission Safety/Key Laboratory of Ministry of Petroleum Engineering/Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Oil and Gas Transmission and Distribution Technology, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Lei Zhang: Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Jinxu Li: Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Liquefying hydrogen is an efficient way to store and transport hydrogen. However, the hydrogen liquefaction process is energy intensive. Therefore, an integrated liquefaction process of hydrogen and natural gas utilizing the mixed refrigerant cycle and the hydrogen Claude cycle is proposed. The process not only couples a steam methane reforming process to produce hydrogen and a carbon dioxide refrigeration cycle to assist in pre-cooling, but also employs a solar energy absorption refrigeration system to enhance energy efficiency. The proposed process is simulated and optimized using HYSYS and the particle swarm optimization algorithm, and energy, exergy, and economic analyses are performed. The energy analysis shows that the specific energy consumption of the proposed process is 5.2201 kWh/kg, a reduction of 10.67% compared to the base case. The exergy loss and exergy efficiency are 64,904 kW and 62.21%, which are 13.63% and 6.63% lower than the base case, respectively. The economic analysis shows that the total annualized cost of the process is USD 28.6 million per year. The proposed integrated liquefaction process not only realizes the high efficiency of energy utilization but also follows the development trend of integrated energy systems.

Keywords: integrated liquefaction process; liquid hydrogen; mixed refrigerant; steam methane reforming; optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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