Modular Hydrogen Production Plant - Reforming Methanol into Pure Hydrogen - 1,000 Nm3 per Hour

Unitel Technologies, Inc. announced that it has been engaged by a major Southeast Asian conglomerate to supply its technology and engineering know-how for the construction, start-up and operation of an on-site Unitel M2H (1,000 Nm3/hour) production system and a downstream hydrogen sulfide plant. The balance of the hydrogen will be used for other applications.

For more information about Unitel’s hydrogen sulfide technology and process, please visit http://www.uniteltech.com/tech-library and click Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Production Technology.

Using methanol to make hydrogen for decentralized operations is a sensible option when pipeline natural gas or LPG are not readily available. Methanol is an internationally traded liquid product that can be easily transported to remote points of use by truck or train. Its low cost and availability make it an attractive energy vector. “Unitel’s M2H 1,000 represents a significant departure from the conventional natural gas reforming process,” says Serge Randhava, CEO of Unitel. “In addition to selective supply chain advantages, lower capital and operating costs are the most visible benefits,” he adds. At this scale, some other pluses of the Unitel M2H 1,000 design versus conventional natural gas steam reforming are:

• Higher overall efficiency.
• Simpler metallurgy without any exotic materials.
• Internal heat generation in lieu of indirect heat transfer.
• Rapid start-up.
• Faster dynamic response and better turn-up and turn-down capabilities.
• Reduced NOx emission problems.

Small-scale self-contained hydrogen plants offer a sensible substitute to piped hydrogen and tube trailers for a variety of low-volume applications in industries such as electronics, steel, food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and glass. Hydrogen fueling and fuel cells are also likely future uses.