Abstract

The rising global energy demand highlights the need for sustainable solutions, with hydrogen emerging as a clean, versatile energy carrier. Alternative hydrogen sources, including biomass, pyrolysis oil, and plastic waste, are gaining attention, with crude oil being a viable option. Saudi Arabia, as a key player in the global crude oil market, has the opportunity to leverage its resources and infrastructure to produce hydrogen, supporting economic diversification.

This dissertation explores the potential of direct crude oil steam reforming for hydrogen production. It addresses key challenges, including catalyst development, process design, optimization, performance evaluation, process simulation, CAPEX analysis, life cycle assessment, and environmental impacts

Chapter 2 introduces a novel NiCoCe-based catalyst for the SR of centrifuged Arabian Light (AL) and Arabian Extra Light (AXL) crude oils. The catalyst demonstrated high activity and stability, achieving hydrogen yields of 59–61 mol% under optimized conditions, with prolonged operational stability of up to 47 hours. Catalyst characterization revealed that the dispersion of active components and enhanced oxygen spillover facilitated hydrocarbon reforming, even in the presence of heteroatoms and heavy hydrocarbons.

Chapter 3 extends the research to heavier crude oils using a NiFeMnBaPr perovskite pre-catalyst. This catalyst exhibited remarkable resilience to deactivation, achieving 54 mol% hydrogen yield and maintaining stability for 30 hours. The unique structural properties, such as oxygen vacancies and redox-active components, effectively mitigated coke deposition and sulfur poisoning. The study highlighted the potential for scalable hydrogen production from heavy crude oil with enhanced catalyst performance.

Chapter 4 employs Aspen Plus simulation to model the industrial-scale process for hydrogen production via crude oil SR, including CAPEX estimation and carbon capture integration. Life Cycle Assessment evaluated the environmental impacts, emphasizing the role of cryogenic CO₂ separation in reducing the carbon footprint. The process achieved a 99.5% CO₂ capture rate, transitioning from gray to blue hydrogen production.

The findings underline the viability of crude oil as a feedstock for hydrogen production, addressing economic and environmental challenges through innovative catalyst design, process optimization and life cycle assessment. This thesis contributes to advancing sustainable hydrogen production technologies, paving the way for industrial applications and decarbonization efforts