Renewable Energy Integration for Energy-Intensive Industry to Reduce the Emission

This chapter presents a systematic framework to integrate renewable energy technologies for the oil and gas industry focusing on solar energy use to meet hydrogen requirements of the crude oil upgrading process for bitumen feedstock in tar sands processing. Several alternative solar-based hydrogen production technologies are considered involving steam methane reforming using a volumetric receiver reactor, molten salt as heat carrier, and solar thermal power generation coupled with electrolysis. A simulation-based modeling framework is applied that considers economic gains with CO2 emission reduction. Several process simulation dimensions are investigated to study the impact on not only technical but also economic and environmental aspects. The solution involves generating a multidimensional (radar) chart based on results analysis which identifies a range of optimal costs in employing suitable processing configurations integrated with renewable technology types. The framework prescribes promising sustainable options to produce hydrogen for the oil and gas industry as well as other energy-intensive industries such as power generation for sustainable electricity supply.