Integration of Hydrogen Systems in Petroleum Refinery

L. Matijašević and M. Petrić

Abstract
Considering the importance of hydrogen in crude oil refining, it is necessary to ensure its most efficient use to satisfy refinery hydrogen requirements. Effective hydrogen management provides maximum utilization of hydrogen. The mass balance of streams containing hydrogen plays a key role in addressing the hydrogen-network optimization problem. The purpose of this work was to analyze the refinery hydrogen network, composed of hydrogen sources and sinks. Mass integration principles and techniques have been applied in the optimization of the refinery hydrogen network. The methodology of hydrogen network integration is presented in a case study of a local petroleum refinery. The main objectives are to provide different solutions for reducing the amount of hydrogen not properly used in the local refinery and which is mostly sent to the fuel system, as well as the operating costs. Hydrogen pinch analysis is applied for targeting the minimum hydrogen consumption of the hydrogen system. A superstructure-based mathematical model of the hydrogen network is developed to minimize the total operating costs. The non-linear programming optimization problem is solved by using optimization software GAMS. An additional hydrogen purification unit is introduced in the existing hydrogen network and the effect on the overall network is investigated. Network design with two hydrogen purification units has proved to be an optimal solution, with respect to the chosen objective function. These analyses and their results can assist the refinery to reduce and improve the efficiency of hydrogen management. The analyses covered only the existing equipment without additional investment.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Keywords
hydrogen distribution, pinch analysis, superstructure, mathematical programming methods, hydrogen network optimization