Real-time control system for carbon intensity compliance in a hydrogen production facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025299201-A1
Application number	US-202418610594-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2024
Priority date	Mar 20, 2024
Publication date	Sep 25, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of operating a hydrogen production facility to meet carbon intensity (CI) requirements, the method comprising: receiving operational parameter data from the hydrogen production facility, the operational parameter data being representative of measured and/or determined time-dependent values of operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; processing the operational parameter data to define one or more linear terms, wherein the linear terms are linear with respect to one or more CI reference models; generating, from the linear terms, control system CI values representative of the CI of hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production facility; generating control variables for controlling one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; and controlling the hydrogen production facility in accordance with the determined control variables.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method of operating a hydrogen production facility to meet carbon intensity (CI) requirements, the method being executed by at least one hardware processor and comprising:
receiving, using a computer system, operational parameter data from the hydrogen production facility, the operational parameter data being representative of measured and/or determined time-dependent values of one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; processing, using a computer system, the operational parameter data to define one or more linear terms, wherein the linear terms are linear with respect to one or more CI reference models; generating, from the one or more linear terms, control system CI values representative of the CI of hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production facility; generating, using a computer system and based on a function of the control system CI values, control variables for controlling one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; and controlling the hydrogen production facility in accordance with the determined control variables.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter data comprises measured and/or determined time-dependent values for one or more operational parameters relating to materials and/or energy input to the hydrogen production facility and materials and/or energy output from the hydrogen production facility.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more operational parameters are selected from the group of: a quantity of hydrogen produced; a quantity of electricity consumed; a quantity of steam produced; a quantity of syngas produced; a quantity of carbon monoxide produced; and a quantity of electricity produced.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the step of processing comprises applying one or more non-linear transforms to the operational parameter data for one or more operational parameters to define the one or more linear terms.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein one or more of the linear terms specify ratio of materials and/or energy inputs to the hydrogen production facility to materials and/or energy outputs from the hydrogen production facility.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein one or more of the linear terms specify a measured energy or material flow input to the hydrogen production facility divided by one of:
i) a total mass flow rate of hydrogen and coproducts produced at the hydrogen production facility; ii) a total molar flow rate of hydrogen and coproducts produced at the hydrogen production facility; iii) a total economic value of hydrogen and coproducts produced at the hydrogen production facility.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein one or more of the linear terms specify a measured energy or material flow input to the hydrogen production facility divided by a total energy rate of hydrogen and coproducts produced at the hydrogen production facility.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein one or more coproducts comprises a gas and the total energy rate is determined as the product of the flow rate of the gas and its lower heating value.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein a coproduct comprises electricity and the energy rate is the generated electric power.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating control system CI values comprises determining a sum of the product of each of the one or more linear terms with a corresponding linear coefficient, the linear coefficients being derived from one or more of the CI reference models.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of updating the linear coefficients based on a perturbation of one or more of the CI reference models.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of generating control variables and controlling the hydrogen production facility utilize model predictive control.

13 . A system for operating a hydrogen production facility to meet carbon intensity (CI) requirements, the system comprising:
at least one hardware processor: a data acquisition module configured to receive operational parameter data from the hydrogen production facility, the operational parameter data being representative of measured and/or determined time-dependent values of one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; a CI determination module configured:
to process the operational parameter data to define one or more linear terms, wherein the linear terms are linear with respect to one or more carbon intensity reference models; and
to generate, from the one or more linear terms, control system CI values representative of the CI of hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production facility;
a production control module configured to generate, based on a function of the control system CI values, control variables for controlling one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; and a process controller configured to control the hydrogen production facility in accordance with the determined control variables.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the operational parameter data comprises measured and/or determined time-dependent values for one or more operational parameters relating to materials and/or energy input to the hydrogen production facility and materials and/or energy output from the hydrogen production facility.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the CI determination module is configured to apply one or more non-linear transforms to the operational parameter data for one or more operational parameters to define the one or more linear terms.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein one or more of the linear terms specify ratio of materials and/or energy inputs to the hydrogen production facility to materials and/or energy outputs from the hydrogen production facility.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of the linear terms specify a measured energy or material flow input to the hydrogen production facility divided by a total energy rate of hydrogen and coproducts produced at the hydrogen production facility.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein one or more coproducts comprises a gas and the total energy rate is determined as the product of the flow rate of the gas and its lower heating value and/or wherein a coproduct comprises electricity and the energy rate is the generated electric power.

19 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the production control module and process controller comprise a model predictive controller operable to generate the control variables and control the hydrogen production facility.

20 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method of operating a hydrogen production facility to meet carbon intensity (CI) requirements, the method being executed by at least one hardware processor and comprising:
receiving, using a computer system, operational parameter data from the hydrogen production facility, the operational parameter data being representative of measured and/or determined time-dependent values of one or more operational parameters of the hydrogen production facility; processing, using a computer system, the operational parameter data to define one or more linear terms, wherein the linear terms ar

Assignees

• Air Prod & Chem

Inventors

• Isom Joshua D
• Urich Matthew D
• Goheen Christopher H
• Haeri Farrah A

Classifications

• C01B2203/16

  Controlling the process · CPC title

• C01B3/34

  by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title

• G05B19/41885

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B13/04 Primary

  involving the use of models or simulators · CPC title