equipment_sizingcostingefuel
Pre-feasibility sizing, utilities, and cost model for a hydrogen-consuming upgrading unit (hydrogenation + recycle gas + separation/stabilisation) for FT synthetic hydrocarbons.
Total liquid hydrocarbon feed to the upgrading/hydrogenation block (all trains).
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).
min 0 · max 500 · step 1 · EUR/MWh
Used to value annual external heat demand (preheat/reboilers at screening level).
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).
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).
min 0 · max 2000 · step 10 · EUR/t
Decimal fraction (e.g., 0.08 = 8%). Used for CRF.
min 0 · max 0.3 · step 0.005 · ratio
Amortization period used in CRF.
min 5 · max 40 · step 1 · years
Hydrocarbon inlet capacity
Design basis feed rate to the upgrading unit
Number of parallel trains
Rounded up based on a reference maximum train capacity
Hydrogenation reactor volume (per train)
Effective reactor volume from LHSV-based sizing
Hydrogenation reactor diameter (per train)
From volume and assumed L/D ratio
Gas-liquid separator volume (per train)
From residence time and liquid flow
Indicative plot space
Includes integration and access margin
Saturated hydrocarbon outlet flow
Liquid product after hydrogenation and losses
Annual saturated hydrocarbon output
Capacity-factor-adjusted product output
Annual hydrocarbon inlet requirement
Total hydrocarbon feed processed per year
Hydrogen demand (process)
Hydrogen consumed by saturation/hydrogenation reactions
Annual hydrogen requirement (process)
Capacity-factor-adjusted hydrogen need
Offgas / light ends
Indicative mass loss to gas phase
Annual heat demand
Net external heat input (preheat/reboilers) at screening level
Annual electricity consumption
Recycles, compression/interface, pumps (screening)
Total equipment purchase cost (EPC excluded)
Purchase cost only; excludes installation/indirects/owner’s cost
CAPEX – reactor section
Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX
CAPEX – hydrogen compression/interface
Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX
CAPEX – recycle gas system
Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX
CAPEX – separation & stabilisation
Allocated fraction of purchase CAPEX
Fixed O&M cost
Scaled O&M fraction applied to purchase CAPEX
Variable O&M cost
Proportional to annual throughput
Annualized catalyst/replacement cost
Periodic catalyst replacement annualized over its interval
Annual utilities cost
Electricity + heat
Annual feedstock cost
Hydrogen + hydrocarbon inlet (if priced within boundary)
Annualized CAPEX
Purchase CAPEX annualized with CRF
Total annual cost
Annualized CAPEX + total annual OPEX
Levelized cost of upgraded fuel output
Based on energy content (LHV) of liquid product
Indicative upstream CO2 requirement (context)
Stoichiometric CO2 per kg hydrocarbon for FT-from-CO2 routes (contextual indicator)
Calculator context
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.
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):
42 assumptions used in the calculations
Prevents division-by-zero and unstable results in screening calculations.
Market range Not applicable
Converts capacity factor to annual operating hours.
Market range 8760 h/yr
Low-pressure operation typically reduces compression/recycle duty versus a mid-pressure baseline.
Mid-pressure baseline for utilities/cost intensity.
Higher pressure typically increases compression power and more robust hydrogen interface requirements.
Represents incremental H2 uptake for saturation/stabilisation of unsaturates and light hydroprocessing in an upgrading block.
Fraction of consumed H2 assumed to end up in the liquid product mass (remainder may appear in purge/offgas or measurement boundary differences).
Represents light ends/offgas fraction removed during stabilisation and gas-liquid separation.
Net external heat for feed conditioning, reactor temperature control and stabilisation services at screening level.
Base electricity for recycle compression/interface and pumping at mid-pressure baseline; modified by pressure factor.
Approximate liquid hydrocarbon density to convert mass flow to volumetric flow for equipment sizing.
Representative LHSV for hydrogenation/hydroprocessing severity at screening level.
Accounts for internals, voids, and conservative sizing beyond pure LHSV catalyst volume.
Assumed length-to-diameter ratio for a vertical hydrogenation reactor shell to back-calculate diameter from volume.
Used for geometric sizing calculations.
Market range 3.14159
Represents 1/3 power used in diameter back-calculation.
Market range 0.333333
Representative residence time for gas-liquid separation at screening level.
Adds conservatism for holdup, foaming, internals and operating flexibility.
Reference maximum capacity per train to estimate the number of parallel trains at screening stage.
Reference plot space per train at reference capacity including equipment footprints and maintenance access.
Captures sub-linear scaling of plot area with capacity due to shared auxiliaries and layout efficiencies.
Accounts for tie-ins, pipe racks, access routes, and operational clearances beyond core equipment footprint.
Reference capacity at which specific CAPEX and plot space reference values are stated.
Market range Project-dependent
Indicative equipment purchase CAPEX intensity for an upgrading block (reactors, H2 interface, recycle, separation) at the reference scale.
Represents economy of scale in equipment purchase costs.
Prevents unrealistic low intensities at large scale from dominating results.
Prevents unrealistic high intensities at very small scale from dominating results.
Allocates total purchase CAPEX to reactor section (reactors, heaters/exchangers around reactors, catalyst handling).
Allocates purchase CAPEX to hydrogen inlet interface and compression/tie-ins at battery limits.
Allocates purchase CAPEX to recycle gas compression, recycle loop, and associated controls.
Allocates purchase CAPEX to gas-liquid separation, stabilisation, and transfer to fractionation.
Fixed O&M as a fraction of purchase CAPEX at reference scale.
Captures modest reduction in fixed O&M fraction with increasing scale.
Prevents unrealistically low fixed O&M fractions at large scale.
Prevents unrealistically high fixed O&M fractions at very small scale from dominating.
Represents consumables, minor chemicals, waste handling and variable maintenance proportional to throughput.
Reference catalyst/adsorbent replacement spend per event at reference capacity for hydrogenation service.
Catalyst inventory and replacement cost scale sub-linearly with capacity.
Periodic replacement interval for catalyst/adsorbents in the upgrading section.
Approximate LHV for kerosene/jet-range hydrocarbons to compute energy output and EUR/MWh_fuel.
Converts MJ to MWh for energy basis calculations.
Market range 3600 MJ/MWh
Indicative stoichiometric CO2 required per kg hydrocarbon for FT-from-CO2 routes (contextual only; not consumed in this upgrading block).
