Modelling the hydrogen production process from electrolysis for the needs of a coking company

Changing regulations and pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere are driving upgrades in many sectors of the global industry. The coking industry is constantly optimising its technological and business strategy to adapt to this trend. This is aimed at fully utilising the potential of coke oven gas and reducing carbon dioxide and other atmospheric emissions associated with coke production. As a by-product of the coke production process, coke oven gas is often combusted as a gaseous fuel, for example, in power plants. Various modifications to this process are being considered to make such technology lower-emitting. This paper presents an analysis of the possibility of hydrogen production using the electrolysis process by a coking company. The electrolysis process was modelled using a self-developed computational model created in MATLAB- Simscape. The analysis assumes powering the electrolysers with energy obtained from two planned photovoltaic installations (with a maximum annual energy production of 4382 MWh and 4992 MWh, respectively). According to the model, approximately 50 kWh of energy is needed to produce 1 kg of hydrogen. Annually, under ideal conditions, this gives hydrogen in the amount of over 180000 kg. However, it should be remembered that part of the electricity used to operate the electrolysers is also used in other processes. The co-combustion of renewable hydrogen with coke oven gas could be an example of an innovative approach to the solution of the problem of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.