This engagement assessed the commercial viability of a compact hydrogen generator (CHG) by benchmarking it against incumbent large-scale SMR and cryogenic liquid hydrogen supply chains. ADI analyzed the trade-offs between capital recovery and sourcing diversity for refiners to address rising hydroprocessing capacity needs.
The client
Energy technology R&D organization
The situation
Uncertainty regarding how small-scale hydrogen generation competes with merchant pipelines and traditional SMR licensors in a refining context.
ADI’s contributions
SMR technology benchmarking
ADI compared technical specs against standard licensors, evaluating how the technology addresses refinery off-gas recovery needs.
Sourcing redundancy analysis
Quantitative assessment of how local, high-deliverability hydrogen units reduce risk for LNG and methanol project developers.
Refiner portfolio screening
Using proprietary databases, ADI identified specific facilities where site-driven technology selection favors decentralized supply.
Value chain positioning
Evaluation of partnership models with industrial gas majors to bridge the gap between R&D and commercial scale-up.
Key outcomes
- Identified ~30 refineries and several methanol projects with the highest propensity to adopt decentralized hydrogen supply solutions.
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