Modelling/Simulation and Techno-Economic Analyses of Steam Reforming and Thermo-Neutral Reforming of Methane with Carbon Capture for Blue Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen fuel, from fossil or renewable sources, offers itself as another route for clean energy production. Hydrogen, as the simplest chemical compound, is characterized by clean and efficient burning if used directly in conventional combustion systems, and it can be used efficiently for electric power generation in fuel cells. Hydrogen can also be used in wide variety of applications including desulfurization, production of chemicals (methanol, ethanol, etc.), petroleum refining and hydro treating. The main feedstocks for the different hydrogen production processes are the gaseous hydrocarbon fuels such as methane, methanol, ethanol, kerosene, ketones, dimethyl ether, and others. Such processes involve partial oxidation reactions of hydrocarbon fuels (mainly natural gas), steam/dry/autothermal reforming reactions, decomposition reactions, and coal gasification. The steam reforming process of higher hydrocarbons is the most common and commercial process for hydrogen production. However, this process requires high operating temperature in order to activate the reforming endothermic reactions. Combing such reduction process of higher hydrocarbons with hydrogen separation membrane can reduce the operating temperature, increase the purity of hydrogen, and improve the overall performance of the reactor. In this work, different membranes will be examined numerically for hydrogen separation from the reforming reaction zone in order to optimize the hydrogen production process and come up with a detailed design of an industrial scale unit for hydrogen production. As well, the work will involve designing Pd-Ag alloy membrane for hydrogen separation using combined Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Machine learning models. The work will be extended to design an electrostatic MEMS-based (Micro- Electro-Mechanical-Systems) gas sensor to electrically detect hydrogen in an analogue fashion. The sensor could also be functionalized with specific modified polymeric materials capable of detecting different gases in petrochemical industry. Development of such advanced MEMS-based sensors holds a great potential for industry in Saudi Arabia, especially the energy sector by providing an avenue for safe practice and lifesaving. literature review will be performed on the economics and policy of blue hydrogen and energy dynamics specific to Saudi Arabia. A detailed study on the social impact and policy analysis of the blue hydrogen will be provided