UCLA

Stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions has become a major focus worldwide as the environmental concerns these emissions evoke continue to grow. For this reason, many countries have begun to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. One such solution is hydrogen since it is an energy carrier that can be generated through a variety of methods, many of which include renewable energy sources. This work focuses on the design of novel hydrogen production methods and the optimization of pre-existing hydrogen production methods. First, a novel process intensification tool is used to optimize the steam-methane reforming process. Then, techno-economic analyses are performed on novel Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle plants. Finally, a novel intensified energetically enhanced reforming process featuring membrane reactors is presented.