Refinery hydrogen management for clean fuels production

This paper presents a new method for refineries to make most efficient use of hydrogen. Hydrogen is an important utility in the production of clean fuels such as low-sulfur gasoline and diesel. The methodology is based upon mathematical optimisation of a superstructure and maximises the amount of hydrogen recovered across a site. The techniques account fully for pressure constraints as well as the existing equipment and are suited for revamping real, industrial systems. The optimum placement of new equipment such as compressors and purification units is also considered. The methods are illustrated with an industrial case study, where both operating cost savings and debottlenecking objectives are achieved. The approach in this paper can account for economic issues such as payback time and capital budgets while delivering process designs that make best use of resources and can provide significant environmental benefits. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.