| Summary: | An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of increasing the hydrogen
production rate by coupling the water gas shift (WGS) process to the hybrid sulphur process
(HyS). This investigation also involved the technical and economical analysis of the water gas
shift and the H2 separation by means of Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. A technical
analysis of the water gas shift reaction was determined under the operating conditions selected
on the basis of some information available in the literature. The high temperature system (HTS)
and low temperature system (LTS) reactors were assumed to be operated at temperatures of
350ºC and 200ºC, respectively. The operating pressure for both reactors was assumed to be 30
atmospheres. The H2 production rate of the partial oxidation (POX) and the WGS processes was
242T/D, which is approximately two times the amount produced by the HyS process alone. The
PSA was used for the purification process leading to a hydrogen product with a purity of
99.99%. From the total H2 produced by the POX and the WGS processes only 90 percent of H2
is recovered in the PSA. The unrecovered H2 leaves the PSA as a purge gas together with CO2
and traces of CH4, CO, and saturated H2O. The estimated capital cost of the WGS plant with
PSA is about US$50 million. The production cost is highly dependent on the cost of all of the
required raw materials and utilities involved. The production cost obtained was US $1.41/kg H2
based on the input cost of synthesis gas as produced by the POX process. In this case the
production cost of synthesis gas based on US $6/GJ for natural gas and US $0/Ton for oxygen
was estimated to be US $0.154/kg. By increasing the oxygen and natural gas cost, the
corresponding increase in synthesis gas has resulted in an increase in H2 production cost of US $1.84/kg. === Thesis (M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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