Comparative analysis of gasification and reforming technologies for the syngas production

Abstract This study is focused on the production of syngas using gasification and dry methane reforming (DMR) technologies. The two processes are compared as a standalone design for a syngas production capacity of 10,000 kmol/h with H2 to CO ratio of 0.88. The two processes are then integrated to develop a novel design that can reduce the CO2 emissions to a near-zero level with reasonable amount of energy requirement. In this study, Aspen Plus® has been employed as a process simulation tool. The results reveal that the DMR process consumes 3.4 times less energy compared to a gasification plant of same capacity. The result also shows that the integration of gasification and DMR design off-sets the negative aspects of gasification technology enabling it to utilize conventional solid fossil fuel with low emission levels.