Techno-economic analyses of a novel hydrogen production process via chemical looping water splitting, integrated with sorption enhanced water gas shift

Hydrogen is an environmentally benign fuel and plays a key role in net zero emission strategy set by 2030. Nevertheless, the main hydrogen production process i.e. steam methane reforming (SMR) is a carbon intensive process. This work aims to develop a low-carbon yet efficient hydrogen production process, capable of competing economically with the benchmark processes. For the first time, three distinct state-of-the-art process configurations have been proposed in this study to produce hydrogen with a carbon capture percentage rate of 100 % via chemical looping water splitting technology integrated with sorption enhanced syngas reforming, to demonstrate high hydrogen yield and efficiency. The three configurations have thermally been optimised following pinch analyses to obtain the minimum heating and cooling utilities required. Also, the influence of the key process parameters on process performance indicators e.g. fuel usage, steam reactor and carbonator operations, have been investigated. Based on heat integration and sensitivity analyses, the optimum process (i.e. ISECLWS) was identified. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the highest hydrogen yield is obtained at a fuel reactor and carbonator effluent gas temperature of 660 ◦C. Furthermore, the techno-economic analyses of the optimum process configuration were performed. The optimum process demonstrated an overall efficiency of 88.4 % which was improved by 8.8 %, 10.9 %, 6.8 % and 5.6 % compared to Steam methane reforming, auto thermal reforming (ATR), sorption enhanced steam reforming (SESMR), respectively. The hydrogen production cost for the optimum process is $1.32 per kg of hydrogen produced which is 19.5 % and 43.6 % lower compared to hydrogen produced via SMR, SESMR.