Process to enhance refinery-hydrogen production

Environmental restrictions, fuel reformulation and increased processing of heavier sour crudes are leading to substantial increases in refinery hydrogen consumption for hydrodesulfurization, aromatics and olefins saturation and improvement of product quality. These trends will accelerate the demand for supplementary hydrogen production during the latter half of the 1990s and beyond. This paper discusses process innovations that enhance refinery-hydrogen production with emphasis on catalytic naphtha reforming, steam methane reforming and partial oxidation of hydrocarbons.