Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Integration of Excess Renewable Energy with Natural Gas Infrastructure for the Production of Hydrogen and Chemicals

  • Original Research Paper
  • Published:
Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Power to gas (PtG) capitalizes on the free or low-cost power made available during frequent mismatches between power demand and power supply by converting water into hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis. Current PtG projects vent the oxygen to the atmosphere and utilize the hydrogen for myriad purposes. Although oxygen has relatively little value when compared to hydrogen on a mass basis, the value of oxygen produced via electrolysis is significant compared to the value of the hydrogen due to the composition of water. This work presents a systematic methodology for designing a PtG project which co-utilizes hydrogen and oxygen to manufacture hydrogen and chemicals via integration with the natural gas infrastructure. A case study is developed and solved to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. The results of the case study show that significant value may be added by utilizing oxygen and the natural gas infrastructure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

h :

Hours of the day, h ∈ (1…24)

i :

Probability interval i ∈ (1..8)

j :

Sinksj ∈ (1. . Nsinks)

s :

Seasons s ∈ (winter, spring, summer, fall)

\( {C}_j^{{\mathrm{H}}_2,\mathrm{logistics}} \) :

Hydrogen transportation costs ($/kg)

\( {C}_j^{{\mathrm{O}}_2,\mathrm{logistics}} \) :

Oxygen transportation costs ($/kg)

\( {F}_j^{{\mathrm{H}}_2,\max } \) :

Hydrogen demand (kg/time)

\( {F}_j^{{\mathrm{O}}_2,\max } \) :

Oxygen demand (kg/time)

\( {\mathrm{G}}_{s,h}^{\mathrm{max}} \) :

Natural gas max withdrawal rate (kg/time)

LBi :

Lower bound of interval i

LBi, s, h :

Lower bound of interval i during hour h of season s

M i :

Median of interval i

\( {N}_s^{\mathrm{days}} \) :

Number of days in each season

p i :

Probability that a random variable falls in interval i

\( {P}_{s,h}^{\mathrm{available}} \) :

Available power rate during hour h of season s

\( {P}_j^{{\mathrm{H}}_2} \) :

Hydrogen price ($/kg)

\( {P}_j^{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Oxygen price ($/kg)

T s, h :

Average fraction of an hour that power is available during hour h of season s

UBi :

Upper bound of interval i

UBi, s, h :

Upper bound of interval i during hour h of season s

\( {\varPsi}_{s,h}^{\mathrm{power}} \) :

Price of power during hour h if season s ($/MWh)

\( {C}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{production}}E \) :

Size of the electrolyzer (kW)

\( {F}_j^{{\mathrm{H}}_2} \) :

Hydrogen produced for user j (kg/time)

\( {F}_j^{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Oxygen produced for user j (kg/time)

\( {F}_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{\mathrm{total}} \) :

Total annual hydrogen production (kg/year)

\( {F}_{{\mathrm{O}}_2}^{\mathrm{total}} \) :

Total annual oxygen production (kg/year)

O & M :

Annual operations and maintenance costs ($/year)

P utilized :

Annual power utilized by electrolyzer (MWh/year)

\( {R}^{{\mathrm{H}}_2} \) :

Total annual revenue from hydrogen sales ($/year)

\( {R}^{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Total annual revenue from oxygen sales ($/year)

\( \mathrm{RO}{\mathrm{I}}^{{\mathrm{H}}_2} \) :

Return on investment from H2 only sales scenario (%)

\( \mathrm{RO}{\mathrm{I}}^{{\mathrm{H}}_2+{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Return on investment from H2 + O2 sales scenario (%)

TAC:

Total annual cost ($/year)

U h, s :

Hourly capacity utilization (%)

U total :

Average annual capacity utilization rate (%)

\( {\Pi}^{{\mathrm{H}}_2} \) :

Profit from H2 only scenario ($/year)

\( {\Pi}^{{\mathrm{H}}_2+{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Profit from H2+O2 sales scenario ($/year)

Φ(D, O):

Total annual cost ($/year)

CHOSYN:

Carbon–Hydrogen–Oxygen Symbiosis Network

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

EIP:

Eco-Industrial Park

FCEV:

Fuel cell electric vehicle

H2 :

Molecular hydrogen

O2 :

Molecular oxygen

PtG:

Power to gas

ROI:

Return on investment

References

  • Afzal, Shaik, Debalina Sengupta, Amitava Sarkar, Mahmoud El-Halwagi, and, and Nimir Elbashir, 2018, Optimization approach to the reduction of CO2 emissions for syngas production involving dry reforming. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 6(6): p. 7532–7544

  • Al-Aboosi, F. , M. Moore, R. B. Nielsen, and M. M. El-Halwagi, “Renewable ammonia as an alternative fuel for the shipping industry.” Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering (in press, 2021) COCHE_100670

  • Al-Douri A, Sengupta D, El-Halwagi MM (2017) Shale gas monetization–a review of downstream processing to chemicals and fuels. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 45:436–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Douri A, Kazantzi V, Eljack FT, El-Halwagi MM (2020) Mitigation of operational failures via an economic framework of reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) during conceptual design. J Loss Prev Process Ind 67:104261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2020.104261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Fadhli FM, Baaqeel H, El-Halwagi MM (2019) Modular Design of Carbon-Hydrogen-Oxygen Symbiosis Networks over a time horizon with limited natural resources. Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification 141:107535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2019.107535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alrabie K, Saidan MN (2018) A preliminary solar-hydrogen system for Jordan: impacts assessment and scenarios analysis. Int J Hydrog Energy 43(19):9211–9223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atilhan, S., S. Park, M. M. El-Halwagi, M. Atilhan, M. Moore, and R. B. Nielsen, “Green hydrogen as an alternative fuel for the shipping industry.” Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering (in press, 2021) COCHE-D-20-00033

  • Bao B, El-Halwagi MM, Elbashir NO (2010) Simulation, integration, and economic analysis of gas-to-liquid processes. Fuel Process Technol 91(7):703–713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berke, Jeremy. Germany paid people to use electricity over the holidays because its grid is so clean. 2018.Available from: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/germany-power-grid-pays-customers-christmas-sustainability-renewable-energy-a8141431.html. Accessed July 2019

  • Boudellal, Méziane, Power-to-gas: renewable hydrogen economy for the energy transition. 2018: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

  • Challiwala MS, Ghouri MM, Linke P, El-Halwagi MM, Elbashir NO (2017) A combined thermo-kinetic analysis of various methane reforming technologies: comparison with dry reforming. Journal of CO2 Utilization 17:99–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Council, Hydrogen. 2017a, Hydrogen scaling up: a sustainable pathway for the global energy transition

    Google Scholar 

  • Council, Hydrogen. 2017b, How hydrogen empowers the energy transition

    Google Scholar 

  • Crabtree EW, El-Halwagi MM (1995) Synthesis of environmentally acceptable reactions. AIChE Symp Ser 90(303):117–127 AIChE, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Edelia, Erfika M, Roy Winkler, Debalina Sengupta, Mahmoud M El-Halwagi, and M Sam Mannan, 2018, A computational fluid dynamics evaluation of unconfined hydrogen explosions in high pressure applications. Int J Hydrog Energy 43(33): p. 16411–16420

  • Ehlinger VM, Gabriel KJ, Noureldin MMB, El-Halwagi MM (2013) Process design and integration of shale gas to methanol. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2(1):30–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Halwagi MM (2017a) A return on investment metric for incorporating sustainability in process integration and improvement projects. Clean Techn Environ Policy 19(2):611–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Halwagi MM (2017b) A shortcut approach to the multi-scale atomic targeting and design of C–H–O Symbiosis networks. Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability 1(1):3–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Halwagi MM, Sengupta D, Pistikopoulos EN, Sammons J, Eljack F, Kazi MK (2020) Disaster-resilient design of manufacturing facilities through process integration: principal strategies, perspectives, and research challenges. Sustainable Chemical Process Design, Frontiers in Sustainability 1:8 Open access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2020.595961/fullhttps://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2020.595961

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghaib K, Ben-Fares F-Z (2018) Power-to-methane: a state-of-the-art review. Renew Sust Energ Rev 81:433–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Götz M, Lefebvre J, Mörs F, Koch AMD, Graf F, Bajohr S, Reimert R, Kolb T (2016) Renewable power-to-gas: a technological and economic review. Renew Energy 85:1371–1390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guillen-Cuevas K, Ortiz-Espinoza AP, Ozinan E, Jiménez-Gutiérrez A, Kazantzis NK, El-Halwagi MM (2018) Incorporation of safety and sustainability in conceptual design via a return on investment metric. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 6(1):1411–1416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He G, Lv H, Yang D (2018) Economic analysis on electrolytic hydrogen production by abandoned wind power. Journal of Clean Energy Technologies 6(3):204–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heid, Bernd, Martin Linder, Anna Orthofer, and Markus Wilthaner. Hydrogen: The next wave for electric vehicles? 2017. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/hydrogen-the-next-wave-for-electric-vehicles. Accessed July 2019

  • ISO. Cal. Managing oversupply. 2019; Available from: http://www.caiso.com/informed/Pages/ManagingOversupply.aspx. Accessed July 2019

  • Julián-Durán LM, Ortiz-Espinoza AP, El-Halwagi MM, Jiménez-Gutiérrez A (2014) Techno-economic assessment and environmental impact of shale gas alternatives to methanol. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2(10):2338–2344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazi, M. K., F. Eljack, M. M. El-Halwagi, and M. Haourai, “Green hydrogen for industrial sector Decarbonization: costs and impacts on hydrogen economy in Qatar.” Comp. Chem. Eng.. 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2020.107144.

  • Keipi T, Tolvanen H, Konttinen J (2018) Economic analysis of hydrogen production by methane thermal decomposition: comparison to competing technologies. Energy Convers Manag 159:264–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosowatz J (2018) Energy storage smooths the duck curve. Mechanical Engineering Magazine Select Articles 140(06):30–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Locatelli G, Boarin S, Fiordaliso A, Ricotti ME (2018) Load following of small modular reactors (SMR) by cogeneration of hydrogen: a techno-economic analysis. Energy. 148:494–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naureen S Malik and Harry Weber. One thing California, Texas have in common is negative power. 2016. Available from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-05/one-thing-california-texas-have-in-common-is-negative-power. Accessed July 2019

  • Markit, IHS. 2018, Hydrogen: chemical economics handbook

    Google Scholar 

  • Melaina, M. W., O. Antonia, and M. Penev. 2013, Blending hydrogen into natural gas pipeline networks: a review of key issues, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Mukherjee R, El-Halwagi MM (2018) Reliability of C-H-O Symbiosis networks under source streams uncertainty. Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems 2(2):132–153. https://doi.org/10.1520/SSMS20180022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noureldin MMB, El-Halwagi MM (2015) Synthesis of C-H-O Symbiosis networks. AICHE J 61(4):1242–1262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noureldin MMB, Elbashir NO, El-Halwagi MM (2014) Optimization and selection of reforming approaches for syngas generation from natural/shale gas. Ind Eng Chem Res 53(5):1841–1855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panu M, Topolski K, Abrash S, El-Halwagi M (2019) CO2 footprint reduction via the optimal Design of Carbon-Hydrogen-Oxygen SYmbiosis networks (CHOSYNs). Chem Eng Sci 203:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park S, Xu S, Rogers W, Pasman H, El-Halwagi MM (2020) Incorporating inherent safety during the conceptual process design stage: a literature review. J Loss Prev Process Ind 63:104040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2019.104040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pivovar B, Rustagi N, Satyapal S (2018) Hydrogen at scale (H2@ scale): key to a clean, economic, and sustainable energy system. The Electrochemical Society Interface 27(1):47–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Princerichard S, Whale M, Djilali N (2005) A techno-economic analysis of decentralized electrolytic hydrogen production for fuel cell vehicles. Int J Hydrog Energy 30(11):1159–1179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Research, Zion Market (2018) Hydrogen market by delivery mode (captive, merchant), by technology (steam methane reforming, partial oxidation of oil, coal gasification, electrolysis of water) and by end user (chemical, petroleum refining, metal processing, automotive fuel, glass industry, edible fats and oils, energy, and others): global industry perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2017–2023

  • Roy N, Eljack F, Jiménez-Gutiérrez A, Zhang B, Thiruvenkataswamy P, El-Halwagi M, Mannan MS (2016) A review of safety indices for process design. Current opinion in chemical engineering 14:42–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2016.07.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scipioni, Antonio, Alessandro Manzardo, and Jingzheng Ren, Hydrogen economy: supply chain, life cycle analysis and energy transition for sustainability. 2017: Academic Press

  • Sinsel, S.R., Riemke, R.L. and Hoffmann, V.H., 2020. Challenges and solution technologies for the integration of variable renewable energy sources—a review. Renewable Energy, 145, pp.2271-2285.

  • Topolski K, Noureldin MMB, Eljack FT, El-Halwagi MM (2018) An anchor-tenant approach to the synthesis of carbon-hydrogen-oxygen symbiosis networks. Comput Chem Eng 116:80–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Topolski K, Lira-Barragán LF, Panu M, Ponce-Ortega JM, El-Halwagi MM (2019) Integrating mass and energy through the anchor-tenant approach for the synthesis of carbon-hydrogen-oxygen Symbiosis networks. Ind Eng Chem Res 58(36):16761–16776. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b02622

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varone A, Ferrari M (2015) Power to liquid and power to gas: an option for the German Energiewende. Renew Sust Energ Rev 45:207–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries H, Mokhov AV, Levinsky HB (2017) The impact of natural gas/hydrogen mixtures on the performance of end-use equipment: interchangeability analysis for domestic appliances. Appl Energy 208:1007–1019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • YCharts, 2019. US Producer Price Index: Industrial Gas Manufacturing: Oxygen

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 3122 TAMU, 100 Spence St., College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Marc Panu, Chi Zhang & Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi

  2. Gas and Fuels Research Center, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, 7607 Eastmark Dr, College Station, TX, 77840, USA

    Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi

  3. Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd., 10 Collyer Quay, Singapore, 049315, Singapore

    Mike Davies & Margaux Moore

Authors
  1. Marc Panu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chi Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mike Davies
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Margaux Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Sensitivity analyses are shown in Fig. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

Fig. 13
figure 13

Sensitivity analysis on PtG ROI (H2+O2 monetization)

Full size image
Fig. 14
figure 14

Sensitivity analysis on PtG production cost (H2+O2 monetization)

Full size image
Fig. 15
figure 15

Sensitivity analysis on PtG profit (H2 only monetization)

Full size image
Fig. 16
figure 16

Sensitivity analysis on PtG ROI (H2 only monetization)

Full size image
Fig. 17
figure 17

Sensitivity analysis on PtG production cost (H2 only monetization)

Full size image

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Panu, M., Zhang, C., El-Halwagi, M.M. et al. Integration of Excess Renewable Energy with Natural Gas Infrastructure for the Production of Hydrogen and Chemicals. Process Integr Optim Sustain 5, 487–504 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41660-021-00158-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41660-021-00158-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation