Jurnal Polimesin
Vol 23, No 4 (2025): August

Harnessing oil refinery exhaust heat via organic rankine cycle for green hydrogen production toward net-zero emissions

Hajianto, Muhamad Roni (Unknown)
Mutaqien, Gilang Nurul (Unknown)
Wibowo, Dipta Ario (Unknown)
Latifin, Latifin (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Aug 2025

Abstract

The increasing CO2 emissions and the complexity of human activities have driven the Indonesian government to enact Law Number 16 of 2016 to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2030. Oil refineries, which previously only disposed of waste heat without being utilized, have now become potential sources of sustainable energy. Through the development of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, this waste heat can be converted into electricity. This research focuses on four types of working fluids, namely Propane, Isopentane, Isobutane, and R245fa. The results showed that the electricity generated from each ORC system was 18.34 MWh (Propane), 52.77 MWh (Isopentane), 32.17 MWh (Isobutane), and 21.23 MWh (R245fa), respectively. This electricity can be used to produce green hydrogen through electrolysis methods, resulting in 366.83 kg (Propane), 1055.42 kg (Isopentane), 643.33 kg (Isobutane), and 424.67 kg (R245fa) of green hydrogen. Compared to hydrogen production through fuel technology, ORC implementation can reduce CO2 emissions by 12.64 t.CO2 (Propane), 36.36 t.CO2 (Isopentane), 22.16 t.CO2 (Isobutane), and 14.63 t.CO2 (R245fa). All calculations were based on 24-hour operation. Isopentane produces the highest power among the four other organic working fluids and generates the largest profit from green hydrogen production through electrolysis processes, amounting to Rp. 55,069,944.78 per day. The innovation of applying ORC systems in oil refineries is an effective step in reducing carbon emissions to support sustainable energy production.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

polimesin

Publisher

Subject

Automotive Engineering Control & Systems Engineering Engineering Materials Science & Nanotechnology Mechanical Engineering

Description

Polimesin mostly publishes studies in the core areas of mechanical engineering, such as energy conversion, machine and mechanism design, and manufacturing technology. As science and technology develop rapidly in combination with other disciplines such as electrical, Polimesin also adapts to new ...