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A hydrogen-from-reservoir concept — built around what comes out of the ground.

Client
Vedra Hydrogen Ltd
Year
2022–2023
Location
Onshore France
Role
Surface Facilities Engineering Lead
01 / CONSTRAINTAn emerging reservoir route had no surface-facility template.
02 / ENGINEERING MOVEDefine the reservoir and surface-process boundaries separately and compare vendor routes.
03 / RESULTVendor-informed concept and Class 5 cost basis for the next decision.
Simplified process flow in which an ASU sends oxygen to the reservoir; the produced stream passes through conditioning, pre-combustion carbon-dioxide capture and hydrogen purification; captured carbon dioxide is compressed for storage and hydrogen leaves as product Simplified process flow in which an ASU sends oxygen to the reservoir; the produced stream passes through conditioning, pre-combustion carbon-dioxide capture and hydrogen purification; captured carbon dioxide is compressed for storage and hydrogen leaves as product
Simplified surface-process concept · H2 + CO2 capture

Scope

Concept-level design and engineering of the surface facilities for hydrogen generated from in-situ oil through the client's reservoir process. The surface concept integrates produced-stream conditioning, pre-combustion CO2 capture, hydrogen purification and on-site oxygen production, targeting carbon-neutral operation within the client's defined accounting boundary.

Hydrogen-from-reservoir is an emerging technology with no established industry template. The work had to define a technically credible plant around an evolving process concept and produce a Class 5 estimate that the client could take forward to investors and partners.

Engineering decisions

The reservoir reaction concept and the surface process train were treated as distinct design boundaries. Oxygen supply, CO2 capture, hydrogen separation and downstream compression required direct vendor consultation and side-by-side technology comparison. Commercial offerings for amine, PSA, ASU, LOx and CCS were mapped to the project's plant-gate hydrogen rate and CO2 purity targets.

The conceptual deliverables converged on a process simulation, a heat & material balance, sized equipment packages, and a Class 5 capital-cost estimate — enough to underwrite the next stage of project development.

Engagement

Surface Facilities Engineering Lead through the conceptual phase. Worked with Vedra's R&D team on process selection, equipment package definition, and vendor engagement for the specialist hydrogen, ASU and CCS packages.

Outcome

The work converted an evolving R&D route into a coherent surface-facility concept, vendor-informed equipment basis and Class 5 capital estimate. That gave the client a consistent basis for evaluating the next development stage with investors and technology partners.

Deliverables

  • Project schedule and planning
  • Class 5 project cost estimate
  • Project resourcing estimation
  • Surface facilities process simulation
  • Surface facilities PFDs
  • Surface facilities heat & material balance
  • Equipment sizing — pre-combustion amine, hydrogen PSA, ASU, LOx cryogenic, and CCS compression packages
  • Vendor RFQs and bid evaluation

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