Steam reforming hydrogen production catalysts developed by SINOPEC’s Research Institute for Petrochemicals were used industrially for the first time at Luoyang Petrochemical

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Recently, the energy-saving RSR series catalysts for steam reforming hydrogen production, independently developed by the Institute of Petrochemistry, were successfully used in industrial applications for the first time at Sinopec Luoyang Petrochemical Company’s 40,000 Nm3/h hydrogen production facility. The operation was successful from the first attempt, producing hydrogen with a purity of >99.9%; this hydrogen was integrated into the plant’s hydrogen distribution network, marking a new breakthrough for the Institute of Petrochemistry in the field of hydrogen production. 01. Focusing on low-carbon hydrogen production technology: The cleaning of energy sources is one of the **key requirements for energy development, and the hydrogenation process is the main method for producing clean fuels; therefore, hydrogen production has always been an important part of refineries. Faced with the **\"dual carbon\" goals, how can hydrogen costs be reduced and carbon emissions from the hydrogen production process minimized?** The Coal and Syngas Conversion Research Laboratory (Research Laboratory 27) of the Chinese Academy of Mining and Technology, building on the academy’s extensive expertise in hydrogenation technology development and application, focuses on energy savings and carbon reduction as pathways for improving traditional hydrogen production technologies. By identifying key scientific issues to serve as starting points for research and development, it has achieved a series of innovative results. 02. From the laboratory to the factory: The project team from Laboratory 27 of the Institute of Petrology overcame numerous challenges by optimizing the structural design of catalysts and developing new methods for their production. As a result, they created a new RSR series of hydrogen production catalysts that feature high activity, low pressure drop in the catalyst bed, and resistance to carbon deposition. These catalysts can help reduce the energy consumption of traditional hydrogen production systems and lower CO2 emissions. In November 2020, the RSR series of catalysts passed the technical evaluation by the Academy’s Science Committee, marking the beginning of their transition from the laboratory to industrial use. In February 2022, the RSR series of catalysts entered into a technical agreement with the Qilu Branch of Sinopec Catalyst Co., Ltd., and successfully won the bid for the project to replace the conversion catalysts in Luoyang Petrochemical’s 40,000 Nm3/h industrial hydrogen production facility. 03. Staying on site to ensure production continues: At a critical time for the production and delivery of catalysts, Zibo in Shandong Province, where these catalysts are manufactured, was classified as a medium-to-high risk area due to an outbreak of COVID-19. In response to the urgent needs of users, the technical staff at the Shihe University Institute overcame the adverse effects of the pandemic by forming a party member task force. While adhering to epidemic prevention requirements, they continued to work hard on the front line of catalyst production. Together with the Qilu branch of the Catalysts Co., Ltd., they established a complete catalyst production line and fulfilled the catalyst delivery tasks with high quality. In late March, during the critical preparation phase for the commissioning of the facility, a new COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Luoyang, Henan, where the user is located. The technical staff from the Institute of Rock Mechanics overcame the impact of the pandemic, persisted in going to the front lines, and stayed at the hydrogen production plant sites to provide technical support for tasks such as loading the plant, purging, airtightness testing, debugging of the control systems, and testing of the emergency interlock systems. 04. Successful and stable operation of the plant: With the close cooperation of the technical team from the China Institute of Petroleum Research, as well as experts from Jingmen Petrochemical and Qingdao Petrochemical, the hydrogen production unit at Luoyang Petrochemical was successfully ignited on April 24. On April 29, the unit was fed with materials, producing hydrogen gas of >99.9% purity that met the quality standards; it was also connected to the plant’s hydrogen pipeline network. The initial startup was successful, and the unit has been operating steadily ever since. The successful application of the energy-saving RSR series catalysts for steam reforming hydrogen production has opened up new market opportunities for the China Academy of Petroleum Sciences in the field of green and low-carbon energy chemicals. Going forward, the Institute of Rock and Mineral Sciences will continue to monitor and provide support at the hydrogen production facility of Luoyang Petrochemical, offering technical services to ensure the long-term stable operation of the facility.