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Equipment sizingCostingE-fuels

Kerosene Upgrading (Hydrogenation, Recycle & Separation)

Pre-feasibility sizing, utilities, and cost model for a hydrogen-consuming upgrading unit (hydrogenation + recycle gas + separation/stabilisation) for FT synthetic hydrocarbons.

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alexi

I do low-carbon energy stuff for 10 years & build things I wish existed.

Inputs

Total liquid hydrocarbon feed to the upgrading/hydrogenation block (all trains).

t/h

min 0.1 · max 200 · step 0.1 · t/h

Percent of the year operating at nominal throughput. Converted internally to a fraction.

min 0 · max 100 · step 1 · %

Select a pressure severity level; used as a proxy modifier for power/utility intensity and interface complexity.

Used to value annual electricity consumption (compressors, recycle, pumps).

EUR/MWh

min 0 · max 500 · step 1 · EUR/MWh

Used to value annual external heat demand (preheat/reboilers at screening level).

EUR/MWh_th

min 0 · max 300 · step 1 · EUR/MWh_th

Cost of hydrogen delivered to the unit battery limit (interface costs are captured separately in CAPEX).

EUR/kg

min 0 · max 20 · step 0.1 · EUR/kg

Optional internal transfer price for hydrocarbon inlet. Set to 0 if outside boundary (e.g., upstream synthesis/fractionation handled elsewhere).

EUR/t

min 0 · max 2000 · step 10 · EUR/t

Decimal fraction (e.g., 0.08 = 8%). Used for CRF.

ratio

min 0 · max 0.3 · step 0.005 · ratio

Amortization period used in CRF.

years

min 5 · max 40 · step 1 · years

Results

Hydrocarbon inlet capacity

Design basis feed rate to the upgrading unit

…t/h

Number of parallel trains

Rounded up based on a reference maximum train capacity

…trains

Hydrogenation reactor volume (per train)

Effective reactor volume from LHSV-based sizing

…m3

Hydrogenation reactor diameter (per train)

From volume and assumed L/D ratio

…m

Gas-liquid separator volume (per train)

From residence time and liquid flow

…m3

Indicative plot space

Includes integration and access margin

…m2

Saturated hydrocarbon outlet flow

Liquid product after hydrogenation and losses

…t/h

Annual saturated hydrocarbon output

Capacity-factor-adjusted product output

…t/yr

Annual hydrocarbon inlet requirement

Total hydrocarbon feed processed per year

…t/yr

Hydrogen demand (process)

Hydrogen consumed by saturation/hydrogenation reactions

…kg/h

Annual hydrogen requirement (process)

Capacity-factor-adjusted hydrogen need

…kg/yr

Offgas / light ends

Indicative mass loss to gas phase

…t/h

Annual heat demand

Net external heat input (preheat/reboilers) at screening level

…MWh_th/yr

Annual electricity consumption

Recycles, compression/interface, pumps (screening)

…MWh/yr

Total equipment purchase cost (EPC excluded)

Purchase cost only; excludes installation/indirects/owner’s cost

…EUR

CAPEX – reactor section

Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX

…EUR

CAPEX – hydrogen compression/interface

Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX

…EUR

CAPEX – recycle gas system

Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX

…EUR

CAPEX – separation & stabilisation

Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX

…EUR

Fixed O&M cost

Scaled O&M fraction applied to purchase CAPEX

…EUR/yr

Variable O&M cost

Proportional to annual throughput

…EUR/yr

Annualized catalyst/replacement cost

Periodic catalyst replacement annualized over its interval

…EUR/yr

Annual utilities cost

Electricity + heat

…EUR/yr

Annual feedstock cost

Hydrogen + hydrocarbon inlet (if priced within boundary)

…EUR/yr

Annualized CAPEX

Purchase CAPEX annualized with CRF

…EUR/yr

Total annual cost

Annualized CAPEX + total annual OPEX

…EUR/yr

Levelized cost of upgraded fuel output

Based on energy content (LHV) of liquid product

…EUR/MWh_fuel

Indicative upstream CO2 requirement (context)

Stoichiometric CO2 per kg hydrocarbon for FT-from-CO2 routes (contextual indicator)

…tCO2/yr

About

Calculator context

Introduction

This calculator screens the hydrogen-consuming upgrading section used to saturate and stabilise a synthetic hydrocarbon stream prior to final separation and fuel recovery (commonly consistent with Fischer–Tropsch (FT) e-kerosene/upgraded syncrude finishing). It is intended for global early-stage assessments using rule-of-thumb process sizing linked to power-law costing and levelized cost metrics.

Methodology follows common pre-feasibility practice (scaled reference CAPEX, fixed/variable O&M fractions, and simplified mass/energy balances). Reference framing is consistent with the way e-fuels are reported by IEA/IRENA and fuel property conventions used in Concawe-type datasets; equipment scaling/parametrics align with public screening methods frequently used in NREL / Fraunhofer / FfE techno-economic studies.

Methodology

Key user inputs are hydrocarbon inlet flow (t/h), capacity factor (%), and an operating pressure selector (used as an energy/cost intensity modifier). The model computes annualized flows, utilities, major equipment sizes, and cost breakdowns.

Principal equations (variables defined in-line):

  • Operating time: annual_operating_hours_h = hours_per_year * (capacity_factor_pct * 0.01)
  • Mass balance (simplified):
    • H2_demand_kg_h = hydrocarbon_inlet_t_h * 1000 * h2_consumption_kg_per_kg_feed
    • offgas_t_h = hydrocarbon_inlet_t_h * offgas_mass_fraction
    • product_t_h = hydrocarbon_inlet_t_h - offgas_t_h + (H2_demand_kg_h/1000) * h2_retained_fraction
  • Utilities:
    • annual_heat_mwh_th = annual_feed_t * heat_specific_mwh_th_per_t_feed
    • annual_electricity_mwh = annual_feed_t * (electricity_specific_kwh_per_t_feed_base * pressure_factor) / 1000
  • Reactor sizing (pre-feasibility):
    • liquid_vol_flow_m3_h = (capacity_per_train_t_h / density_t_per_m3)
    • reactor_volume_m3 = (liquid_vol_flow_m3_h / LHSV_h_inv) * reactor_volume_factor
    • reactor_diameter_m from V = (piD^2/4)(L/D*D)
  • Costing (power-law scaling + clamps):
    • specific_capex_raw = specific_capex_ref * (capacity/capacity_ref)^capex_scale_exponent
    • specific_capex_scaled = clamp(specific_capex_raw, specific_capex_min, specific_capex_max)
    • CRF = (r*(1+r)^n)/max(((1+r)^n-1),eps)
    • total_annual_cost = annualized_capex + total_annual_opex
    • Levelized cost: LCO_fuel = total_annual_cost / max(annual_energy_output_mwh, eps)

Applications

  • Project developer (screening): compare upgrading unit size/cost sensitivity versus inlet flow and pressure level for an FT e-kerosene finishing block.
  • Techno-economic analyst (concept selection): quantify how pressure choice impacts electricity use, H2 interface costs, and overall EUR/MWh-fuel.
  • Business development (stakeholder discussions): generate an indicative CAPEX split (reactor / H2 interface / recycle / separation) and headline OPEX components for early estimates.

Model

92 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.

92 variables shown of 92
VariableValueUnitDepends on
10t/h—
90%—
2——
60EUR/MWh—
25EUR/MWh_th—
4EUR/kg—
0EUR/t—
0.08ratio—
20years—
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
if(((<=0)+(<0)+(>100)+(<1)+(>3)+(<0)+(<0)+(<0)+(<0)+(<0)+(>1)+(<=0))>0,1,0)bool
*0.01—
*h/yr
if(==1,,if(==2,,))—
*kWh/t
/max(,1)t/h
*((/max(,))^(-1))EUR/(t/h)
clamp(,,)EUR/(t/h)
*((/max(,))^)—
clamp(,,)—
++++EUR/yr
(*(1+)^)/max(((1+)^-1),)—
(*1000*)/max(,)MWh_fuel/yr
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
t/h
*t/yr
*1000*kg/h
*kg/yr
*t/h
(-)+(/1000)*t/h
*t/yr
*MWh_th/yr
*/1000MWh/yr
ceil(/max(,))trains
((/max(,))/max(,))*m3
((4*)/max((*),))^m
((/max(,))*)*m3
(*((/max(,))^))**m2
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR/yr
*EUR/yr
(*((/max(,))^))/max(,)EUR/yr
(*)+(*)EUR/yr
(*)+(*)EUR/yr
*EUR/yr
+EUR/yr
/max(,)EUR/MWh_fuel
(*1000*)/max(1000,)tCO2/yr

Assumptions

42 assumptions used in the calculations

  • Prevents division-by-zero and unstable results in screening calculations.

    Market range Not applicable

    0.000001
    Modeling constant

  • Converts capacity factor to annual operating hours.

    Market range 8760 h/yr

    8760h/yr
    Calendar convention

  • Low-pressure operation typically reduces compression/recycle duty versus a mid-pressure baseline.

    0.85
    Screening correlation

  • Mid-pressure baseline for utilities/cost intensity.

    1
    Screening correlation

  • Higher pressure typically increases compression power and more robust hydrogen interface requirements.

    1.25
    Screening correlation

  • Represents incremental H2 uptake for saturation/stabilisation of unsaturates and light hydroprocessing in an upgrading block.

    0.015kg/kg
    Screening assumption

  • Fraction of consumed H2 assumed to end up in the liquid product mass (remainder may appear in purge/offgas or measurement boundary differences).

    0.9
    Screening assumption

  • Represents light ends/offgas fraction removed during stabilisation and gas-liquid separation.

    0.02
    Screening assumption

  • Net external heat for feed conditioning, reactor temperature control and stabilisation services at screening level.

    0.15MWh_th/t
    Pre-feasibility utility intensity

  • Base electricity for recycle compression/interface and pumping at mid-pressure baseline; modified by pressure factor.

    25kWh/t
    Pre-feasibility utility intensity

  • Approximate liquid hydrocarbon density to convert mass flow to volumetric flow for equipment sizing.

    0.8t/m3
    Fuel property assumption

  • Representative LHSV for hydrogenation/hydroprocessing severity at screening level.

    1.51/h
    Reactor sizing heuristic

  • Accounts for internals, voids, and conservative sizing beyond pure LHSV catalyst volume.

    1.25
    Sizing allowance

  • Assumed length-to-diameter ratio for a vertical hydrogenation reactor shell to back-calculate diameter from volume.

    5m/m
    Geometric assumption

  • Used for geometric sizing calculations.

    Market range 3.14159

    3.141593
    Mathematical constant

  • Represents 1/3 power used in diameter back-calculation.

    Market range 0.333333

    0.333333
    Mathematical constant

  • Representative residence time for gas-liquid separation at screening level.

    0.5h
    Separator sizing heuristic

  • Adds conservatism for holdup, foaming, internals and operating flexibility.

    1.3
    Sizing allowance

  • Reference maximum capacity per train to estimate the number of parallel trains at screening stage.

    25t/h
    Modularization heuristic

  • Reference plot space per train at reference capacity including equipment footprints and maintenance access.

    1200m2
    Layout heuristic

  • Captures sub-linear scaling of plot area with capacity due to shared auxiliaries and layout efficiencies.

    0.6
    Scaling exponent

  • Accounts for tie-ins, pipe racks, access routes, and operational clearances beyond core equipment footprint.

    1.3
    Integration allowance

  • Reference capacity at which specific CAPEX and plot space reference values are stated.

    Market range Project-dependent

    10t/h
    Cost curve reference point

  • Indicative equipment purchase CAPEX intensity for an upgrading block (reactors, H2 interface, recycle, separation) at the reference scale.

    2500000EUR/(t/h)
    Screening CAPEX intensity

  • Represents economy of scale in equipment purchase costs.

    0.7
    Scaling law

  • Prevents unrealistic low intensities at large scale from dominating results.

    500000EUR/(t/h)
    Clamp bound

  • Prevents unrealistic high intensities at very small scale from dominating results.

    6000000EUR/(t/h)
    Clamp bound

  • Allocates total purchase CAPEX to reactor section (reactors, heaters/exchangers around reactors, catalyst handling).

    0.4ratio
    Cost breakdown heuristic

  • Allocates purchase CAPEX to hydrogen inlet interface and compression/tie-ins at battery limits.

    0.2ratio
    Cost breakdown heuristic

  • Allocates purchase CAPEX to recycle gas compression, recycle loop, and associated controls.

    0.2ratio
    Cost breakdown heuristic

  • Allocates purchase CAPEX to gas-liquid separation, stabilisation, and transfer to fractionation.

    0.2ratio
    Cost breakdown heuristic

  • Fixed O&M as a fraction of purchase CAPEX at reference scale.

    0.04ratio
    TEA convention

  • Captures modest reduction in fixed O&M fraction with increasing scale.

    -0.05
    Scaling heuristic

  • Prevents unrealistically low fixed O&M fractions at large scale.

    0.02ratio
    Clamp bound

  • Prevents unrealistically high fixed O&M fractions at very small scale from dominating.

    0.08ratio
    Clamp bound

  • Represents consumables, minor chemicals, waste handling and variable maintenance proportional to throughput.

    1.5EUR/t
    Screening assumption

  • Reference catalyst/adsorbent replacement spend per event at reference capacity for hydrogenation service.

    1200000EUR
    Replacement item cost reference

  • Catalyst inventory and replacement cost scale sub-linearly with capacity.

    0.8
    Scaling heuristic

  • Periodic replacement interval for catalyst/adsorbents in the upgrading section.

    3years
    Replacement interval assumption

  • Approximate LHV for kerosene/jet-range hydrocarbons to compute energy output and EUR/MWh_fuel.

    43MJ/kg
    Fuel property convention

  • Converts MJ to MWh for energy basis calculations.

    Market range 3600 MJ/MWh

    3600MJ/MWh
    Unit conversion

  • Indicative stoichiometric CO2 required per kg hydrocarbon for FT-from-CO2 routes (contextual only; not consumed in this upgrading block).

    3.15kg/kg
    Stoichiometric context factor