Blue Hydrogen Market Analysis

End-User (Petroleum Refineries, Chemical Industry, Power Generation Facilities)

The power generation facilities segment is poised to gain the largest market share of about 45% in the year 2037. The segment growth can be impelled by growing need for reliable and dispatchable source of clean energy. Hydrogen-fired power plant provide flexibility in balancing grid demand and can serve as backup capacity during peak periods or when renewables are unavailable.

Additionally, the decarbonization imperative is driving utilities to invest in low-carbon energy solutions, with blue hydrogen emerging as a promising option to replace fossil fuels in conventional power generation, thus driving growth in this segment. 

Technology (Steam Methane Reforming, Gas Partial Oxidation, Auto Thermal Reforming)

The steam methane reforming segment in the blue hydrogen market is set to garner a notable share shortly. SMR, or steam methane reforming, is by far the most common method for producing hydrogen where methane from natural gas is heated during the process. Natural gas is converted to blue hydrogen via the method of steam methane reforming (SMR), which is a process that uses the interaction of hydrocarbons with water to produce syngas.

Blue hydrogen generation primarily uses steam methane reforming whereby in the presence of a catalyst, methane and steam react to create hydrogen at pressures between 3 and 25 bar (1 bar, or 14.5 psi). For instance, the process of SMR produces more than 90% of the hydrogen produced worldwide. Particularly, in the US over 94% of the hydrogen produced in the US comes from steam methane reforming, which is the most extensively utilized method for producing bulk gas.

In addition, the main goal of partial oxidation (POX), a particular kind of chemical reaction, is to create hydrogen. Compared to steam reforming (SR), partial oxidation of methane (POX) has greater potential for producing syngas and is extremely adaptable, having been used with lignite, bituminous materials, natural gas, propane, butane, and various petroleum distillates and residues.

Furthermore, combining the partial oxidation reaction with the steam reforming reaction is known as auto thermal reforming which is the process of creating hydrogen by using less energy than other methods since it produces syngas, which is a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

Our in-depth analysis of the market includes the following segments: