Investigation of scale-up and techno-economic potential of VPSA technology for single cycle H2 and CO2 purification

This study investigates the potential of a Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) process that produces high purity streams of H2 and CO2 , with high recovery for both, starting from syngas (mainly hydrogen, carbon dioxide and impurities such as methane, carbon monoxide and nitrogen). The goal of the work is twofold: on the one hand, the scale-up of the VPSA technology is investigated for single cycle H2 and CO2 purification processes to test its effect on technical performances; on the other hand, the scaled process is evaluated from an economic perspective. Concerning the technology scale-up, the analysis starts from a process which is currently operated at the lab-pilot scale and whose key performance indicators are well defined. However, going from laboratory to commercial scale implies a series of technical challenges, including longer step times, larger volumes, lower overall velocities. A method based on a simplified process model complemented with detailed process simulations is applied to perform the upscaling of (i) a simple Skarstrom cycle, (ii) a simplified VPSA cycle, and (iii) a complete VPSA cycle for hydrogen production and CO2 capture. The techno-economic assessment of the underlying processes is carried out based on a bottom-up approach, which leads to the definition of the technology development cycle. The costs will initially increase until the first (demonstration/ commercial) plant is built (FOAK, First Of A Kind): here both technological and scientific developments play an important role and have to be carefully considered. A reduction of the overall costs will then occur due to learning pathways and replication effects, until the features of the so-called N-th of a kind (NOAK) plant will be finally achieved.