Blue Hydrogen Production from Oil Using Partial Oxidation and Aquathermolysis

ABSTRACT Hydrogen is currently viewed as an extremely promising future source of energy that is both energy dense and environmentally friendly. One of the main issues with hydrogen is its production, which is extremely costly and thus results in a higher energy input than output. This research proposes a new method for hydrogen production using oil to reduce the reliance on freshwater and reduce the overall cost of the hydrogen generation. The research reviews all the conventional processes of producing blue hydrogen using natural gas, and studies the applicability of using oil as the feedstock instead of gas. The research then introduces a novel experimental setup to study hydrogen production from oil and highlights the advantages and limitations of the process. Finally, the research investigates the utilization of ash as a catalyst for blue hydrogen production from oil. This research can help increase the production of blue hydrogen by increasing the sources that can be used for blue hydrogen production. It also helps highlight the advantages and limitations of blue hydrogen production from oil and the main industrial methods that can be used for this application based on existing hydrogen production plants. INTRODUCTION Hydrogen is considered one of the main energy contributors of the future. It is usually produced from a hydrogen rich compound, mainly hydrocarbons or water (Fakher, S. et al., 2020; 2021; 2022). Due to the vast number of hydrogen production methods, hydrogen is usually classified as a color based on its source, process used to produce it, and if any greenhouse gas emissions are associated with its production (Fakher, S. and Fakher, A., 2021). Figure 1 shows all the common hydrogen colors, their source, and the main processes used to produce them (Fakher, S., 2020). As shown in Figure 1, several hydrogen colors are associated with fossil fuels. In order for the hydrogen to be classified as blue, it must originate from a hydrocarbon and have no emissions. This is achieved by coupling the process of hydrogen production with a carbon capture technology (Fakher, S. and Khlaifat, A., 2022).