Cost Analysis of Integrated Pathways for Hydrogen Generation via Natural Gas Partial Oxidation Combined with CO 2 Capture or Electrolysis

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Natural gas (NG) reforming dominates global hydrogen production through three chemistry routes: autothermal (ATR), steam-methane reforming (SMR), and partial oxidation (POX). Hydrogen plants generate substantial amounts of CO 2, and reducing the carbon intensity is vital for sustainable development. There is a lack of technoeconomic analyses exploring hydrogen production by natural gas partial oxidation (POX). This work examines two pathways to mitigate CO 2 in POX plants by using recoverable heat from the process to (1) integrate the plant with an electrolyzer to enhance hydrogen production and (2) integrate with CCS (blue hydrogen). Design regimes are identified for the integrated POX-CCS process. Technoeconomic analyses show the trade-off between hydrogen costs and the reduction in CO 2 emissions. Results show that electrolyzer integration is limited due to the electrolyzer’s large power demand, while CCS integration achieves 95% emission reductions with only 9% cost increase. A life-cycle assessment compares the integrated POX system with conventional SMR and electrolysis.