Conceptual feasibility studies for cost-efficient and bi-functional methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation in a membrane reactor for H2 storage and production

As the global trend towards transition to a "hydrogen society" continues to gain momentum, a lot of studies on alternative hydrogen (H-2) production methods are on the rise. Among them, methylcyclohexane (MCH) dehydrogenation in a membrane reactor (MR) is reported here as one possible candidate, affording its enhanced H-2 yield and a compact design. In this study, techno-economic analysis and carbon footprint analysis (CFA) of MCH dehydrogenation in an MR are carried out to investigate economic and environmental feasibility providing techno-economic and environmental guidelines for realizing it as mature technology. The economic parameters are determined through process simulation using Aspen Plus (R), and the unit H-2 production costs are obtained for a packed-bed reactor (PBR) and an MR in H-2 production capacities of 30, 100, 300, and 700 m(3) h(-1). The effects of each economic parameter on the unit H-2 production cost are identified through sensitivity analysis (SA) and scenario analysis is performed under various conditions to investigate the effects of technical parameters of the membrane, such as the H-2 production capacity, temperature, and H-2 permeance on the unit H-2 production costs. CFA is also performed to investigate the environmental feasibility of MCH dehydrogenation in an MR by considering CO2 emissions at each part.