Air Products’ joint venture company based in Sichuan, China has signed a long-term agreement to build a hydrogen production facility for PetroChina Co. Ltd. It is the first time that a state-owned refinery in China has outsourced its hydrogen requirements. The steam methane reformer (SMR) will produce hydrogen and syngas to support PetroChina’s Sichuan refinery and petrochemical facilities. The facility will produce over 90 million standard cu/ft per day of hydrogen and is targeted to be on stream in early 2012. The hydrogen production plant will feature technology advancements to maximize facility energy efficiency and emission reductions. The enhanced SMR design targets minimal loss of heat to the environment, which in turn reduces the quantity of natural gas required to make hydrogen. These efforts and other productivity improvements support Air Products’ overall sustainability goals of reducing energy consumption and emissions. The Sichuan hydrogen facility will be built through the global alliance between Air Products and Technip. Technip provides the design and construction expertise for steam reformers while Air Products provides the gas separation technology.
