{
  "name": "Steam methane reforming: design and scope figures from three US Department of Energy sources",
  "description": "Compares figures quoted for steam methane reforming (production shares, temperature and pressure ranges, reference-plant design values, emissions and capture penalties) with the scope each applies to. Compiled from the DOE EERE hydrogen page, the NETL reference-plant report and the DOE Office of Science technology status document.",
  "page": "https://casrai.org/guides/steam-methane-reforming",
  "publisher": "CASRAI",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "dateModified": "2026-11-12T21:13:21Z",
  "temporalCoverage": "2019/2022",
  "spatialCoverage": "United States and global",
  "columns": [
    {
      "name": "Parameter (unit)",
      "unit": "",
      "description": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "Value",
      "unit": "",
      "description": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "Scope or basis",
      "unit": "",
      "description": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "Source",
      "unit": "",
      "description": ""
    }
  ],
  "rows": [
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Share of US hydrogen made by natural gas reforming (%)",
      "Value": 95,
      "Scope or basis": "United States, large central plants",
      "Source": "DOE EERE"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Share of global hydrogen made by SMR, 2019 (%)",
      "Value": 75,
      "Scope or basis": "Global, 2019",
      "Source": "DOE Office of Science BES"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Average CO2 emissions of SMR hydrogen (kg CO2 per kg H2)",
      "Value": 10,
      "Scope or basis": "Majority of global H2 via SMR",
      "Source": "DOE Office of Science BES"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "General SMR steam temperature range (deg C)",
      "Value": "700-1000",
      "Scope or basis": "General process description",
      "Source": "DOE EERE"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "General SMR pressure range (bar)",
      "Value": "3-25",
      "Scope or basis": "General process description",
      "Source": "DOE EERE"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Tube-metallurgy reaction temperature limit (deg C)",
      "Value": "760-925",
      "Scope or basis": "Reference design practice",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Raw syngas exit temperature, primary reformer (deg C)",
      "Value": 870,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Raw syngas exit pressure, primary reformer (MPa)",
      "Value": 2.8,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Molar steam-to-carbon ratio at reformer inlet",
      "Value": 2.56,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Methane converted in primary reformer (% minimum)",
      "Value": 77,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant, 'more than 77%'",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Reforming enthalpy (kJ/mol)",
      "Value": 205.8,
      "Scope or basis": "CH4 + H2O to CO + 3H2",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Water-gas shift enthalpy (kJ/mol)",
      "Value": -41.2,
      "Scope or basis": "CO + H2O to CO2 + H2",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Steam to dry gas ratio at shift exit",
      "Value": 0.25,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "PSA design hydrogen recovery (%)",
      "Value": 85,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Product hydrogen purity (vol %)",
      "Value": 99.9,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Product pressure (MPa)",
      "Value": 6.48,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL reference plant (925 psig)",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Cold gas efficiency, SMR without capture (%)",
      "Value": 76.7,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL Case 1",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Efficiency penalty from adding capture (percentage points, approx.)",
      "Value": 7,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL SMR with capture",
      "Source": "NETL"
    },
    {
      "Parameter (unit)": "Carbon recovered in capture cases (% minimum)",
      "Value": 90,
      "Scope or basis": "NETL capture cases, 'more than 90%'",
      "Source": "NETL"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "US DOE EERE, Hydrogen Production: Natural Gas Reforming",
      "url": "https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-natural-gas-reforming",
      "accessed": "2026-11-12"
    },
    {
      "title": "NETL, Comparison of Commercial, State-of-the-Art, Fossil-Based Hydrogen Production Technologies (DOE/NETL-2022/3241)",
      "url": "https://www.netl.doe.gov/projects/files/ComparisonofCommercialStateofArtFossilBasedHydrogenProductionTechnologies_041222.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-11-12"
    },
    {
      "title": "DOE Office of Science BES, Foundational Science for Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen Technologies",
      "url": "https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1809223",
      "accessed": "2026-11-12"
    }
  ]
}