(221h) Aspen Plus Process Design for the Liquid Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming of Used Automotive Lubricating Oil

The objective of this study is to develop a process for the production of pure liquid hydrogen from used automotive lubricating oil using Aspen PlusTM Chemical Process Simulator (CPS). The reformer is simulated as a Gibbs reactor to fractionate the large oil molecules. A methane reformer converts methane into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A water-gas shift unit, simulated as an equilibrium reactor, is used to enhance the production of hydrogen. A flash separator is used to knock out excess water from the product stream. Aspen AdsimTM is incorporated to simulate the adsorption process of the pressure swing adsorption (PSA). The off-gas is burned with air in a combustor, and the generated energy is used to heat the processing units. A hydrogen liquefaction unit, simulated as a Claude densifier cycle, is used to convert gaseous hydrogen to liquid hydrogen. The performance of plant is investigated as a function of temperature and steam-to-oil ratio.