Systems and methods for holistic low carbon intensity fuel and hydrogen production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422796-B2
Application number	US-202318543355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2023
Priority date	Aug 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods to provide low carbon intensity (CI) hydrogen through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions based upon an analysis of carbon emissions associated with a combination of various options for feedstock procurement, feedstock refining, processing, or transformation, and hydrogen distribution pathways to end users. Such options are selected to maintain the total CI (carbon emissions per unit energy) of the hydrogen below a pre-selected threshold that defines an upper limit of CI for the hydrogen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process to provide a low carbon intensity hydrogen, the process comprising:
identifying one or more sources of feedstock and one or more transportation pathways to transport feedstock from each of the one or more sources to a hydrogen production source;
determining carbon emissions per unit energy of hydrogen associated with providing each identified feedstock from the one or more feedstock sources;
determining carbon emissions per unit energy of hydrogen associated with each of the one or more transportation pathways;
receiving at the hydrogen production source at least one feedstock selected from at least one of the one or more sources identified and transported by at least one of the one or more transportation pathways identified, the at least one feedstock defining a selected feedstock and the at least one transportation pathway defining a selected transportation pathway;
converting the selected feedstock into hydrogen;
determining a reduction in carbon emissions per unit energy of hydrogen that is attributable to two or more hydrogen production processes selected from a group including, powering at least a portion of hydrogen production source equipment with electricity generated by a renewable source, burning renewable natural gas in hydrogen production source fired heaters, generating steam through renewable natural gas-fed boilers, and sequestering carbon dioxide produced during the one or more hydrogen production processes;
operating the two or more hydrogen production processes to reduce carbon emissions per unit energy of hydrogen while converting the selected feedstock into the hydrogen;
identifying distribution pathways to transport a quantity of the hydrogen to an end user location;
determining carbon emissions per unit energy of hydrogen associated with each distribution pathway that transports the quantity of the hydrogen to the end user location;
determining the selected feedstock, the selected transportation pathway, the one or more hydrogen production processes and the at least one distribution pathway to maintain a total carbon emissions per unit energy of the hydrogen below a pre-selected total carbon emissions per unit energy threshold; and
outputting the quantity of the hydrogen through the at least one distribution pathway as a low carbon intensity hydrogen.

2. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a ratio of hydrogen that yields from converting the selected feedstock from the one or more sources determining a total carbon emissions per unit energy of the hydrogen, and maintaining a record of the total carbon emissions per unit energy associated with the quantity of the hydrogen.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one feedstock from at least one of the one or more sources is selected from the group consisting of a low carbon intensity liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a low carbon intensity naphtha, natural gas, and renewable natural gas, and wherein the one or more sources of feedstock include one or more of a wellhead, a bio-feedstock plant, an offsite refinery, a co-located refinery, or a water source.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the renewable source includes one or more of wind turbines, a solar array, a hydroelectric generator, a geothermal generator, or a stationary fuel cell power system, and the process further comprising determining a total carbon emissions per unit energy of the hydrogen, the determining being a function of at least one or more of the determined carbon emissions per unit energy associated with providing the selected feedstock from its source, the determined carbon emissions per unit energy associated with the selected transportation pathway, the determined reduction in carbon emissions per unit energy associated with converting the selected feedstock together with operating the selected two or more hydrogen production processes, and the determined carbon emissions per unit energy associated with transporting the quantity of the hydrogen to the end user location through at least one distribution pathway.

5. A system to operate a hydrogen production source for distribution of a low carbon intensity (CI) hydrogen therefrom, the system comprising:
a hydrogen production controller to control one or more various hydrogen production processes to be operated at one or more hydrogen production sources; and
a hydrogen integration controller in signal communication with the hydrogen production controller, the hydrogen integration controller including one or more processors and memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, to:
(I) determine a feedstock CI for each of one or more available feedstock from one or more available feedstock sources to be supplied to the one or more hydrogen production sources from one or more available feedstock transportation pathways,
(II) for each one or more available feedstock:
(a) determine a feedstock transportation CI for each of one or more available feedstock transportation pathways based on:
(1) a volume of a feedstock transportation pathway,
(2) fuel type utilized by the feedstock transportation pathway, and
(3) distance to travel to the one or more hydrogen production sources,

(b) determine a hydrogen production process CI for each of one or more hydrogen production processes based on:
(1) one or more available hydrogen production processes available at the one or more hydrogen production sources,
(2) a type of feedstock of the one or more available feedstock, and
(3) a yield of each one or more available hydrogen production processes,

(c) determine a hydrogen product distribution CI for each of one or more available hydrogen distribution pathways based on:
(1) a volume of a hydrogen distribution pathway,
(2) a type of the hydrogen distribution pathway,
(3) fuel type utilized by the hydrogen distribution pathway, and
(4) distance to travel for a delivery of hydrogen,

(d) determine a set of combinations, each of the set of combinations including:
(1) one or more available feedstock,
(2) one or more available feedstock transportation pathways,
(3) one or more hydrogen production processes of one or more hydrogen production sources, and
(4) one or more available hydrogen distribution pathways, and

(e) determine a total CI for each of the set of combinations,

(III) determine a final selection from the set of combinations including a total CI less than or equal to a threshold CI, the threshold CI being defined as an upper limit of CI in providing hydrogen to an end user location that qualifies the hydrogen as a low CI hydrogen, the CI of the hydrogen being a function of the total carbon emissions per unit energy of the hydrogen, the final selection including:
(a) a selected one or more available feedstock,
(b) a selected one or more feedstock transportation pathways,
(c) a selected one or more hydrogen production processes of one or more hydrogen production sources, and
(d) a selected one or more hydrogen distribution pathways,

(IV) in response to the final selection, transmit a feedstock request based on the selected one or more available feedstock and the selected one or more feedstock transportation pathways,
(V) in response to a determined reception of the selected one or more available feedstock at the one or more hydrogen production sources, initiate, at the hydrogen production controller, the selected one or more hydrogen production processes of the one or more hydrogen production processes, to transform the selected one or more available feedstock to hydrogen, and
(VI) in response to determination of completion of the selected one or more hydrogen production processes, transmit a delivery request of the hydrogen via the selected one or more hydr

Assignees

• Marathon Petroleum Co Lp

Inventors

• Whikehart David
• Herold Gregory

Classifications

• G06Q50/40

  Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) · CPC title

• G06Q10/083

  Shipping · CPC title

• Y02P20/151

  Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, e.g. CO2 · CPC title

• E21B43/25

  Methods for stimulating production {(by vibrating earth formations E21B43/003)} · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title