UCLA

Steam methane reforming (SMR) is the most widely used hydrogen (H2) production method,converting natural gas and steam into H2 and carbon dioxide (CO2). SMR is a well-studied process widely used in industrial applications to produce hydrogen, where fossil fuels are burned to provide heat for the endothermic reforming reactions, ultimately contributing to the production of greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate emissions stemming from heating, a proposed solution involves utilizing an electrically-heated steam methane reformer process. Moreover, conventional SMR uses a packed bed catalyst and is heated by surrounding furnace; however, an electrified SMR employs a washcoated catalyst, is resistively-heated through the outer wall of the reactor, and loses heat to the surroundings. To further the foundational research conducted on electrically-heated reformers, this thesis examines the gas-phase products from an electrified reformer at UCLA, models it on process simulators, and scales up the proposed Aspen Plus model for industrial hydrogen production. The model simulates a plant with industrial level production rate and implements a ii reformer, two shift reactors, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) for separation, and a heat exchange network. The PSA process is modeled on Aspen Adsorption software, and the overall modeling process developed in Aspen Plus is discussed in detail. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis is performed on the entire process to determine the most energy-efficient conditions