Integrated Process and Power Simulation to Validate the Design and Operation of Green Hydrogen Facilities

Abstract Between 2015 and 2018, over one million metric tons of green Hydrogen were produced worldwide. If governments implement more ambitious climate policies to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, green Hydrogen production could potentially reach 160 million metric tons per year by 2050 [1]. However, green Hydrogen projects present unique business and technical challenges. The variability of the renewable energy supplies, the operational complexity of electrolyzers, and the potential interaction of the Hydrogen production with downstream processes, e.g., green Ammonia, makes the final design and operation of facilities highly challenging. The interdependency of the renewable power supply and the highly non-linear process systems is one critical factor that must be factored into the conceptual and detailed design. This paper discusses the challenges related to green Hydrogen projects and how these challenges can be tackled, from four different perspectives: The investor who needs to assess the expected financial return on the project before making a Final Investment Decision (FID)The process engineering team responsible for the conceptual and detailed design of the highly non-linear and non-continuous green Hydrogen productionThe electrical engineering team who must identify the optimum electrical topology considering, for example, size and cost of any battery energy storage (ESS) and also operational performance including power flows and equipment loadingThe owner/operator who wants to know that the facility can be operated safely and profitably and commissioning and startup time can be minimized All four stakeholders must work collaboratively, outside of their respective disciplinary silos, to advance to a successful conclusion of a financially and environmentally rewarding project.