Hydrogen Generation from Vacuum Gas Oil

Refineries in the U.S. are processing increasingly heavy sour crudes, which requires considerable quantities of hydrogen. Unfortunately upgrading refineries to produce more hydrogen using conventional technologies is expensive, and therefore not economically attractive for small independent refiners. General statement of how this problem is being addressed TDA Research Inc. is developing a technology that we call HyRes (hydrogen from residuum) that will allow small refineries to produce their own hydrogen at a cost that is considerably lower than conventional technologies, and also less expensive than purchasing hydrogen from a third party. This will permit small refiners to convert less valuable bottom of the barrel and other heavy oil feedstocks into valuable hydrogen while permitting more distillate fuels to be obtained from each barrel of oil, especially heavy crudes that are available in greater quantity. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits As refineries process increasingly heavier crudes, more and more hydrogen is needed to remove metals, sulfur and nitrogen. Upgrading highly aromatic feedstocks such as residuum and vacuum gas oil (VGO) is also hydrogen intensive. Very large, fully integrated refineries with steam methane reformers (SMR) and delayed cokers, and in some cases petroleum coke gasification units already in place, find it easier to expand hydrogen generating capacity than do smaller refiners that lack such infrastructure. For the refineries with throughputs in the range of 50,000 bbl/day, installing a large, expensive hydrogen infrastructure is not economically attractive. These smaller (many independent) refiners represent one market for TDA’s hydrogen generation technology. Making hydrogen production more economically attractive to install for small refiners both increases profitability (because hydrogen made using our technology is less expensive than hydrogen purchased from a third party) and because it increases the value of the products made from the bottom of the barrel. To demonstrate the technology and commercialize it, TDA is partnered with a global industrial gas supplier. Key Words: Hydrogen, petroleum refining, catalytic steam reforming