Steam Methane Reforming
A highly cost-effective and flexible technology for producing up to 200,000 Nm³/h of hydrogen or syngas from various hydrocarbon feedstocks.
Air Liquide provides Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) for cost-effective hydrogen and syngas production. We offer scalable designs optimized for high efficiency and low total cost of ownership.
How the SMR process works
- Pre-treatment: Before being admitted to the catalytic reforming process, feedstocks are desulfurized to protect the catalyst, pre-heated and mixed with steam as a reforming agent. Optionally, a catalytic pre-reforming step may be introduced to convert the feed hydrocarbon mix into methane-rich gas to facilitate the main SMR step and to improve efficiency.
- Reforming reaction: The main reforming reaction takes place in our proprietary top-fired steam reformer. Here, the feed mixture is converted inside catalyst-filled, externally heated tubes at temperatures ranging from 800 to 940°C and pressures of 15 to 45 barg.
- Yield maximization: If the hydrogen (H2) yield needs to be maximized, a catalytic CO shift reactor can be added to the reformed gas section to convert carbon monoxide (CO) into additional H2, again utilizing steam as a reaction agent.
- Hydrogen purification: For hydrogen production, highest levels of purity can be reached by employing in-house Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) purification technology.
- Syngas processing: To obtain pure carbon monoxide or CO rich syngas products, proprietary technology bricks may be combined to condition and purify the reformed gas. These include CO2 removal, H2 membranes for adjusting the syngas composition and cryogenic methane wash or partial condensation technologies for syngas separation and CO purification.
Unmatched flexibility and efficiency
- Diverse feedstocks: Our SMR technology allows for the flexible utilization of diverse feedstocks, seamlessly processing natural gas, refinery off-gases, LPG and naphtha.
- Scalable capacities: Designed for a wide range of capacities including large-scale operations, a single SMR train can achieve a capacity of 15,000 to 200,000 Nm³/h for a hydrogen plant, or 3,500 to 40,000 Nm³/h for a carbon monoxide plant.
- Optimized design: The process design can be expertly adapted to optimize for the highest efficiency, the lowest plant CAPEX, or a minimum total cost of ownership. Customers further benefit from best-in-class plant reliability and operability, backed by direct operational feedback from Air Liquide's own extensive fleet of plants.
Small-scale standard hydrogen plants
For smaller capacity demands, our Small-Scale Standard Hydrogen Plant Product offers a highly standardized and modularized approach. Available in four pre-defined sizes with nameplate capacities ranging from 15,000 to 45,000 Nm³/h, these compact units limit construction exposure and minimize the total cost of ownership. The plants are designed to receive a wide range of gaseous and liquid feedstocks which makes them an ideal fit for applications like supplying hydrogen to HVO or classic refineries.
Pathway to low-carbon hydrogen
To support industrial decarbonization, traditional SMR plants can be adapted to produce low-carbon hydrogen. Different combinations of CO₂ capture technologies can be integrated with a process scheme optimized to any given project's needs. These proprietary and highly competitive solutions allow for overall CO₂ capture rates of up to 99%.
SMR-X™: Zero steam hydrogen production
Breakthrough heat recovery: For operations seeking to decouple their hydrogen plant from a steam host, Air Liquide offers the breakthrough SMR-X™ technology. This new generation furnace recovers heat from the reformed gas leaving the reaction zone and routes it back to the catalyst bed via internal heat exchange tubes.
Compact & efficient: This innovation supplies approximately 20% of the required process heat natively, enabling a more compact reformer design. Delivering up to 100,000 Nm³/h, SMR-X™ boosts the highest efficiency of all available zero-steam solutions and reduces CO₂ emissions by more than 5% compared to conventional zero-steam designs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What feedstocks can the SMR process use?
The process is highly flexible, seamlessly handling natural gas, refinery off-gases, LPG and naphtha to produce hydrogen and syngas.
What is the capacity of a single SMR plant?
A single SMR train is designed to produce between 15,000 and 200,000 Nm³/h of hydrogen, or up to 40,000 Nm³/h of carbon monoxide.
Can SMR technology produce low-carbon hydrogen?
Yes. SMR can be integrated with advanced carbon capture technologies to achieve overall CO₂ capture rates of up to 99%. SMR-X
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