(296c) Zero Carbon Dioxide Emission Hydrogen Production Process Design Using Methane/butane as Feedstock

In this work we will propose a process design that uses a combination of methane and butane as feedstock and produces hydrogen, methanol and ethylene without emitting any carbon dioxide, using a novel method for heat and power integration coupled with innovative optimization techniques. The reactions considered for this process are: methane/butane combustion, methane/butane steam reforming, butane dehydrogenation to ethylene, reverse water-gas shift, methanol synthesis. Before the problem was optimized, we perform a thermodynamic analysis to examine the feasibility of the heat integration, where our results showed that the first and second thermodynamic laws were satisfied. After calculations we obtain an optimal set of conditions in which is shown that not all of the reactions considered are essential for the process and that it exists an optimal point for the methane/butane ratio for the production of hydrogen.