August 2024
Biofuels, Alternative/Renewable Fuels
Utilize a hydrogen reactions lab to optimize renewable fuels processing
Leading technology developers in the refining space are utilizing various catalysts to enhance the adjusted reaction chemistry, but this does not directly address how to optimize hydrogen utilization for the hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization/cracking processing steps. To ensure the right equipment outlay and calibration for these hydrogenation applications, replicating the process in a lab setting can help identify efficiencies and yield improvements for a fraction of the cost that a refiner would incur attempting to achieve that optimization through modifications at commercial scale.
D. DUHAMEL and T. LEBRECHT, Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Allentown, Pennsylvania
Over the past 50 yr, the refining industry has mastered the hydroprocessing of traditional crude feedstocks; however, the emergence of renewable fuels has changed the way refineries approach their processes. Renewable fuels—particularly renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—have become focal points of growth throughout the refining industry due to enduser demand driven by decarbonization initiatives.
This market demand for decarbonization is guided by a combination of regulatory incentives (penalties) and corporate sustainability goals, with many entities guided by a net-zero 2050 target that will require dramatic operational overhauls across most industries. Refining is no exception, given that it is at the intersection of upstream crude oil production and downstream fossil fuel utilization and emissions. Translating the combined knowledge of the refining industry to bio-derived feedstocks has created the foundation of the burgeoning renewable fuels space, but there is still significant opportunity to improve upon these initial practices to drive down production costs and improve the competitiveness of the market segment relative to alternative decarbonization options.
Challenges in processing bio-derived feedstocks. The immediate technical challenges in transitioning to bio-derived feedstocks and the production of renewable fuels are apparent:
- Feedstock quality and pre-treatment
- Feedstock availability
- Hydroprocessing optimization
- The resulting cost of adding these new considerations to the supply chain.
The refining industry has tackled the low-hanging fruit to help drive down the initial cost gap to traditional fuels, namely the pretreatment of feedstocks to make them more amenable to the current leading renewable fuels refining technologies. While this has yielded tremendous progress in the viability and reliability of the first commercial renewable fuels production facilities, there is still a long way to go to reach parity with traditional fuels.
Leading technology developers in the refining space are utilizing various catalysts to enhance the adjusted reaction chemistry, but this does not directly address how to optimize hydrogen (H2) utilization for the hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization/cracking processing steps. Some inherent obstacles that refineries face with renewable fuels production include compositional differences (oxygen and contaminants content) and increased H2 requirements relative to crude processing. To ensure the right equipment outlay and calibration for these hydrogenation applications, replicating the process in a lab setting can help identify efficiencies and yield improvements for a fraction of the cost that a refiner would incur attempting to achieve that optimization through modifications at commercial scale.
Utilizing a H2 reactions lab. By replicating this process in a lab setting, customers in the refining space can see firsthand the benefits of adapting to new feedstocks, catalysts and other operational parameters to optimize the hydroprocessing component of their facility. Specifically, a H2 reactions lab aims to optimize real operating conditions to achieve greater renewable fuel yield and throughput while attaining a long cycle length to minimize downtime, all while maintaining product specifications and minimizing total process cost. Working with an industrial gas company that has an established, state-of-the art H2 reactions lab can be an effective first step to finding the best solution for refining operations.
H2 reaction labs typically consist of a high-pressure and high-temperature continuous flow unit, which can be ideal for testing amenability. The reactor lineup is variable and operates as one or more reactors in a sequential configuration. Each reactor can also be customized to use a refiner’s specific catalyst for trials. This allows the refiner to run multiple sequential reaction steps with differing catalysts at high pressures. Critically, the flexibility of the lab allows a variety of hydroprocessing reactions and catalysts to be tested. Recent innovations in the renewable fuels space provide the opportunity to optimize renewable diesel and SAF production methods, as that is where market demand is driving new commercial investments and refinery retrofits.
Variable parameters that can be trialed within a H2 reactions lab include:
- Catalyst loading: Maximize catalyst performance and lifetime, improve product yield and quality, and reduce the cost of production
- Catalyst activation: Ensure safe and quick facility startup, improve catalyst performance and lifetime
- Feedstock testing: Identify the specific attributes of the feedstock and tailor the hydroprocessing trial to improve product yield and quality
- Process parameter optimization: Manage the utilization of trickle-bed reactors to find the ideal balance for high product yield and quality
- Auxiliary equipment solutions: Improve exotherm control, manage hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the recycle, measure the quality of the resulting propane and naphtha, and measure the purity of recycled H2.
As the renewable fuels industry continues to develop, each entrant into the space aims to drive the total cost of production down to maximize their competitiveness against traditional fuels and competing renewable fuels. The regulatory and corporate sustainability drivers that are generating a demand for low-carbon intensity fuels are continuing to grow. Utilizing a H2 reactions lab can provide refiners as advantage in establishing themselves as first movers in an aspect of refining optimization that is largely nascent relative to strides made in renewable feedstock pretreatment thus far.
Navigating the energy transition. The energy transition has introduced a new component in the decision-making of consumers and corporations alike: greenhouse gas emissions. This pull from end users and growing incentivization schemes from a variety of governmental institutions are leading to the establishment of carbon intensity as a metric by which companies determine both the financial and environmental success of any given project. This new key performance indicator (KPI) is a part of every operational and procurement decision, in the form of the Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions associated with both onsite emissions and upstream and downstream emissions of energy and materials involved in the process. H2 production and consumption is no different—even though the utilization of H2 produces no emissions. How the H2 is produced will greatly impact the carbon intensity of a refining process, both in renewable fuels and traditional refining.
Working with a H2 supplier to understand the path toward a reliable, low-carbon intensity solution will allow renewable fuel refiners to minimize the carbon intensity of their products to qualify for the maximum incentive in a fuel credit market or highest market price in a carbon tax environment. In a world where the value of carbon intensity is at a premium and set to grow over time, securing the pathways to a decarbonized future is critical to ensuring the long-term success of the refining industry.
Regardless of a company’s emissions reduction goals and/or the profile of a producer’s facility, it should be a priority to find the right H2 supply partner for your needs to ensure safe handling, maximum onstream time and redundant supply availability. As a critical factor in the success of a renewable fuels plant, an experienced H2 supplier can help processing companies get the most out of their projects, both in yield and cost position.
The Authors
Timothy Lebrecht is the Industry Manager, Energy Transition and the Chemicals Process Industries, for Air Products and Chemicals.
David Duhamel is the Strategic Marketing and Development Manager for Air Products and Chemicals.
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