What are the differences between hydrogen production PSA units and PSA units for light gas, off-gas, and reformed hydrogen?

It is relatively easier to extract hydrogen from low-pressure gas and exhaust gas, as only hydrogen extraction is required; whereas reforming hydrogen, containing components such as C5 and C6, needs to be decarburized first before hydrogen extraction can take place.

Thank you to the original poster for their generosity; one more thing to add is regarding the lifespan of the adsorbent. In terms of the service life of programmable valves, those in reformer hydrogen units have a shorter lifespan due to the dirtier gas source.

The hydrogen content in the gas used for hydrogen production from natural gas is slightly higher, while it is lower in the case of gas used for hydrogen production; the level of hydrogen purity is similar when using naphtha for hydrogen production. Hydrogen produced through reforming, low-boiling fractionation, and emission gases has a much higher purity level. I disagree with the claim regarding the length of service life of adsorbents – the design agencies take the raw materials into account when making designs, and they determine the appropriate service life for the adsorbents; moreover, different types of adsorbents are used in each case. Reforming hydrogen is used as a raw material, resulting in high product purity, but liquid removal facilities (liquid removal tanks, pre-processors) are required. Reforming hydrogen is not dirty; the key issue is whether the adsorbent gets damaged, as this has a significant impact on the lifespan of the programmable valve.

Basically, it’s just about adding some preprocessing; everything else remains the same

The approach is slightly different; the separation of low-molecular-weight substances is simpler