Hydrogen Purification Using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)
Recovery and purification of hydrogen using PSA technology — a dry, cyclic process that delivers an extremely pure product from any hydrogen-rich feed.
Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Technology
The PSA process involves adsorbing impurities from a hydrogen-rich feed gas onto a fixed bed of adsorbents at high pressure. The impurities are then desorbed at low pressure into an off-gas stream. This produces an extremely pure hydrogen product — over 99.999% purity can be achieved.
Various hydrogen-rich feedstocks can be treated, including steam reformer syngas, methanol cracker syngas, refinery gases, ethylene cracker off-gas and coke oven gas. The process is tailored to the specific feed composition and product-purity requirement by adjusting the cycle sequence and choice of adsorbents.
- Capacityup to 150,000 m³/h
- Hydrogen Purity99.9–99.999%
- Hydrogen Recoveryup to 90%
Adsorber Vessels
Multiple vessels operate in a sequenced cycle, with optional N+1 configuration allowing isolation for maintenance while sustaining throughput.
Offgas Vessel
A distribution header with equidistant holes ensures uniform gas concentration and balanced flow downstream.
Modular Piping Skid
The skid integrates essential instrumentation and safety systems for safe, reliable operation and rapid installation.
Switching Valves
Purpose-engineered valves deliver rapid response, precise flow control and proven reliability, with optional manual isolation for maintenance.
One purifier for hydrogen of every colour
The “colour” of hydrogen describes how it is produced — grey and blue from natural-gas reforming, black and brown from coal gasification, pink from nuclear-powered electrolysis. Whatever the route, Howe-Baker’s PSA purifies the hydrogen-rich stream behind it into a single, high-purity product.
That makes one PSA design a common building block across the whole hydrogen economy — from today’s refinery and petrochemical duty to tomorrow’s clean-hydrogen value chains.
Five fundamental steps, continuous hydrogen
Although the process is a batch operation, continuous product and off-gas flows are achieved by running multiple adsorbers in a stepwise sequence. Select a step to see inside the bed.
Feedstocks we treat
Wherever a hydrogen-rich stream can be recovered instead of burnt as fuel, PSA delivers a low-cost route to high-purity product.
Industries served
From refining to fuel cells, high-purity hydrogen underpins reaction chemistry, reducing atmospheres and cleaner fuels.
Dynamic modelling
Howe-Baker uses dynamic modelling to extend the operating envelope of new designs and to optimise existing plants. Plant performance keeps improving as a result of continuous process development.
Each unit is sized from a full simulation of the real feed and cycle — predicting the impurity breakthrough curves that set purity and recovery, rather than relying on a rule of thumb. Single-train capacities exceeding 100,000 Nm³/h (90 MMscfd) are possible.
Why choose Howe-Baker for your hydrogen PSA
Proven & Reliable Design
Built on an established PSA process and proven engineering principles.
Guaranteed Process Performance
Defined guarantees for hydrogen purity, recovery and capacity.
Modular Skid-Mounted Design
Pre-engineered skids enable fast installation and commissioning.
Proven & Proprietary Adsorbents
High selectivity and stable separation performance for consistent purity.
Optimised Life-Cycle Economics
Lower operating cost through efficient design and low utilities.
Long-Term Maintenance Support
Ongoing support backed by Howe-Baker specialists and the global installed base.
In addition to standalone PSA units, Howe-Baker offers fully integrated hydrogen solutions — combining reforming and purification technologies to deliver a single-source design for the complete hydrogen plant, from feedstock to product hydrogen.
Hydrogen PSA packages, delivered
SMR Hydrogen Plant PSA
Texas, USA · North America
High-purity H₂ recovery PSA system for a steam methane reformer — 99.9%+ purity to pipeline specification.
Refinery Hydrogen Recovery
Rotterdam, Netherlands · Europe
PSA unit recovering hydrogen from refinery off-gas streams for reuse in hydroprocessing.
PSA Hydrogen Purification Unit
Jubail, Saudi Arabia · Middle East
Pressure swing adsorption for large-scale refinery hydrogen purification to 99.9% purity target.
Ammonia Plant H₂ Recovery PSA
Vadodara, India · Asia
PSA hydrogen purification system for fertiliser and ammonia production complex.
Have a hydrogen stream to purify?
Send us your feed composition, pressure and target specification. We’ll return an indicative PSA configuration with expected purity and recovery.
Request a Design Study