Impact assessment of CO2 capture and low-carbon hydrogen technologies in Colombian oil refineries
E.L.B. Lopez Basto (TU Delft - Energy and Industry, Ecopetrol)
G. Korevaar (TU Delft - Energy and Industry)
Andrea Ramirez (TU Delft - ChemE/Chemical Engineering)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This research uses system optimization to assess short, medium, and long-term scenarios to achieve the committed CO2-emission goals of Ecopetrol while minimizing potential adverse impacts such as incremental operational costs and utility demand. Two Colombian refineries are used as a case study: a medium-complexity and a high-complexity refinery. The study explores whether the level of complexity plays a significant role in the results. Potential technologies were ranked using a multi-criteria decision analysis. The system analysis and optimization were done in Linny-R, a mixed integer linear programming software package developed by TU Delft. In the short-term (2030) scenario, the selected technologies include low-carbon H2 produced from Steam Methane Reformer units with carbon capture and storage and H2 produced from renewable electricity sources. The medium and long-term (2050) scenario also included biomass gasification, naphtha reforming, and the cracking unit, all with carbon capture and storage. The refineries were modelled using on-site company data. The results indicate that using low-carbon H2 and carbon capture and storage to flue gases would allow to reach the net zero target. Furthermore, the results show that the level of complexity in a refinery significantly impacts the decarbonization deployment pathways. The high-complexity refineries benefited from using low-carbon H2 as feedstock while the medium-complexity refinery relied on a combination of carbon capture and low-carbon H2 as an alternative fuel. This research highlights the potential to achieve substantial CO2 emissions reductions with less impact on the total operational cost by using the amount of excess refinery gas generated when H2 is used as fuel in boilers and process furnaces. A significant challenge remains in identifying suitable applications for surplus refinery fuel gas beyond its conventional use in combustion within boilers and furnaces.