Hydrogen management in modern refineries

The term 'Hydrogen Management' is being used in the refining industry to define the hydrogen balance within a specific refinery. Traditionally, the primary source of hydrogen within the refinery has been the catalytic reforming unit which supplies the needs of the hydrocracking and hydrotreating processes. Additional hydrogen requirements, if any, are met by steam reforming of natural gas, LPG, or naphtha. The use of hydrogen will substantially increase as a consequence of strict environmental regulations and higher conversions of heavier fractions. These trends will accelerate the demand for on-purpose hydrogen during the latter half of 1990s and beyond. Any change including oil composition, product pattern, and product composition will therefore have an impact on overall hydrogen balance. Three main areas within this subject have been addressed in this paper, namely, hydrogen usage, production, and recovery.