Integrated Modeling of Steam Methane Reforming and Carbon Capture for Blue Hydrogen Production

The increasing global demand for clean energy highlights hydrogen as a strategic energy carrier due to its high energy density and carbon-free utilization. Currently, steam methane reforming (SMR) is the most widely applied method for hydrogen production; however, its high CO2 emissions undermine the environmental benefits of hydrogen. Blue hydrogen production integrates carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to overcome this drawback in the SMR process, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study integrated a MATLAB-R2025b-based plug flow reactor (PFR) model for SMR kinetics with an Aspen HYSYS-based CCS system. The effects of reformer temperature (600–1000 ◦C) and steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio (1–5) on hydrogen yield and CO2 emission intensity were investigated. Results show that hydrogen production increases with temperature, reaching maximum conversion at 850–1000 ◦C, while the optimum performance is achieved at S/C ratios of 2.5–3.0, balancing high hydrogen yield and minimized methane slip. Conventional SMR generates 9–12 kgCO2/kgH2 emissions, whereas SMR + CCS reduces this to 2–3 kgCO2/kgH2, achieving more than 75% reduction. The findings demonstrate that SMR + CCS integration effectively mitigates emissions and provides a sustainable bridging technology for blue hydrogen production, supporting the transition toward lowcarbon energy systems.