Surrogate-Assisted Refinery Hydrogen Network Optimization with Hydrogen Sulfide Removal

In order to achieve the collaborative optimization of the hydrogen distribution network and the desulfurization process, it is necessary to accurately model the desulfurization process. While the simplification of the desulfurization process model compromises the accuracy of the results, a strict process model based on process thermodynamics is disadvantaged due to its inherently high complicacy. To solve this dilemma, this paper proposes a new strategy for coupling optimization of the hydrogen distribution network and the hydrogen sulfide removal process in the refinery. Surrogate models are developed as approximations to the rigorous desulfurization processes. The surrogate model is then integrated into the mathematical programming model for hydrogen network optimization. The proposed method is applied to a case study taken from a refinery in Western China. The result suggests that the proposed model can effectively reduce the H₂S content in the system. Moreover, a comparison between the proposed method and the prerious literary work based on simplified desulfurization models proves that our model can more practically obtain optimization results.