Hydrogen production: SMR technology
SMR technology
Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) is the most common industrial process for producing hydrogen. It works by combining natural gas or biomethane with high-temperature steam in the presence of a catalyst. Through this SMR technology the Hy.GEN® produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This reaction happens in our in-house developed reactor. The tubes are heated by burners. Carbon capture is a possible add-on technology for these systems. Our Hy.GEN® Grand uses an electric reformer for heating instead, eliminating flue gases. Additionally is carbon capture technology standard included in the Hy.GEN® Grand.
Features
- Steam methane reformer technology
- Low operational costs
- Applicable to various markets
- Large-scale hydrogen production
- No compressor necessary with the hybrid Hy.GEN® Grand
SMR process
The SMR process begins when methane and steam are fed into a reformer reactor containing nickel-based catalysts. Inside the reactor, with high temperature steam and elevated pressure, the methane and steam react to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Following this, a secondary reaction occurs. In this step, the carbon monoxide reacts with additional steam to produce more hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The reformer skid uses efficient heat recovery technology inbetween the two reaction steps to minimize energy consumtion.
The resulting gas mixture (called syngas) contains hydrogen, carbon dioxide, unreacted methane, and other trace compounds. This mixture then passes through pressure swing adsorption (PSA) vessels, which separates and purifies the hydrogen to the desired quality, 5.0 in general.
