Techno-Economic Analysis of Membrane-Based Plants for H₂/CH₄ Purification

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Energy Systems

Background:

• Growing interest in hydrogen (H₂) as a fuel and energy carrier.
• Increasing adoption of alternative gas separation processes.
• Need for efficient H₂/CH₄ purification technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Analyze the techno-economic aspects of membrane technology for H₂/CH₄ purification.
• Simulate and compare the performance of different membrane plant configurations.
• Identify cost-effective solutions for high-purity H₂ production.

Main Methods:

• Simulation of three Pd-Ag/Si-CHA membrane plant configurations.
• Analysis of separation performance (purity and recovery).
• Evaluation of techno-economic factors including Economic Potential (EP), net profit, and Net Present Value (NPV).

Main Results:

• A single Pd-Ag membrane stage can achieve high CH₄ purity (95%) and pure H₂ permeate.
• Si-CHA membranes allow lower temperatures but require more stages and yield lower H₂ purity (98%).
• A two-stage hybrid process offers cost savings through reduced feed pressure.
• The single Pd-Ag membrane plant demonstrated the highest EP, net profit, and NPV.

Conclusions:

• Membrane technology is a viable option for H₂/CH₄ purification.
• Single Pd-Ag membrane configuration is the most economically advantageous.
• Techno-economic analysis is crucial for optimizing membrane plant design for H₂ production.