ExxonMobil Deploys Advanced Hydrogen Burner Technology

ExxonMobil Unveils Hydrogen Burner to Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Chemical Production. ExxonMobil said it has unveiled a hydrogen-fueled burner technology for use in steam crackers at the Baytown Olefins plant that will cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the chemical manufacturing process by a substantial amount, it said.

Steam cracking is the most significant process that is applied for the production of olefins from hydrocarbons like natural gas and oil. Traditionally, furnaces are fired on natural gas. That's a very effective fuel but it does produce rather large amounts of CO2. Olefins are used in the production of an infinite number of things-the spectrum runs from plastics and packaging to medical equipment.

It took four years for the new burners to develop so that they could burn hydrogen fuel, instead of natural gas. Since water vapor is a by-product of burning hydrogen, that carbon cannot be sent straight into the atmosphere when such conventional fuels are being used. This was demonstrated on large-scale industrial runs by the burners: olefin production was maintained with a reduction in hydrogen fuel content of about 98 percent pollution. These burners could be operated on a 100 % hydrogen fuel flow.

Tests have demonstrated that using this hydrogen burner technology, the company could burn fossil fuels while cutting down CO2 emissions by 90% compared to other, more conventional methods. The company will also use this technology in other furnaces at its Baytown facility. This is part of an industry-wide effort to decarbonize the chemical industry - an area of long-standing focus on the industry due to its often high energy-intensive processes.

More evidence of this is the building of a plant by ExxonMobil, which can produce up to a billion cubic feet of low-carbon hydrogen every day. That will use carbon capture and storage and capture more than 90% of the CO2 that otherwise would be released in the hydrogen production process. The final product of the plant will thus have very little carbon intensity.

Conclusion:Most of the food-packaging materials, auto-components products and in fact, medical-related products that are intended to add fewer carbon footprints are because of Adoption of Hydrogen burners and Low-Carbon hydrogen. For that type of technological advancement as clean energy source applications, ExxonMobil would in pursuit after that end-product about the sector of chemicals.This hydrogen burner technology from ExxonMobil is a critical step for the decarbonization of chemical production and a gateway to integrate hydrogen in further emission reduction of industry. It's a global effort to abate emissions in hard-to-abate industries.

Source: ExxonMobil