Analysis of oxygen-enriched combustion for steam methane reforming (SMR)

The technical feasibility of oxygen-enriched combustion (OEC) to enhance the performance of SMR was investigated. For a small-capacity unit, membrane separation is an appropriate air-enrichment technique. Four production scenarios were considered for the retrofit of an existing hydrogen-production unit. The scenarios were compared, using the new intrinsic exergy efficiency coefficient. The exergy analysis shows that reduced fuel consumption at a constant hydrogen-production rate is the most appropriate utilisation of OEC and that the optimum enrichment level is 29%.