| IAHE Nuclear Hydrogen Division |
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Nuclear
energy will have a major role in large-scale low-cost production of
hydrogen in the future. The mission of the IAHE Nuclear Hydrogen
Division is to organize and promote activities that foster
development of nuclear systems for hydrogen production, including
thermochemical cycles, electrolysis, and related elements such as
safety and materials science. It also serves for public outreach,
special sessions at conferences, and recognition of technical
achievement of its members through awards.
Members
of the IAHE Nuclear Hydrogen Division
How
is hydrogen currently
produced?
The predominant existing processes use fossil fuels to produce
hydrogen, such as steam methane reforming (SMR) or coal gasification.
These are carbon-based technologies that lead to greenhouse gas
emissions, and future costs of carbon capture and storage. The key
challenge facing the future hydrogen economy is a sustainable,
lower-cost method of producing hydrogen in large capacities. Nuclear
based hydrogen generation by splitting of water provides a cleaner
and compelling alternative to hydrogen production from fossil fuels.
Why
nuclear energy to produce hydrogen?
Nuclear energy provides a large-scale and low-carbon source of energy
to produce hydrogen. The use of hydrogen in the production of
transport fuels from crude oil and other hydrocarbons (such as oil
sands) is increasing rapidly. Hydrogen is likely to become an
important future fuel for CO2
emissions reduction by vehicles. Nuclear hydrogen production provides
a flexible alternative to batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Nuclear energy can be used to produce hydrogen by electrolysis and
thermochemical cycles without generating greenhouse gases. In the
coming decades, energy demand for hydrogen production could exceed
that for electricity production today.
How
is nuclear energy used to produce hydrogen?
The growth of nuclear energy's role in hydrogen production in
future decades is anticipated to include the following technologies:
1) electrolysis of water, particularly using off-peak capacity; 2)
high-temperature electrolysis of steam, using heat and electricity
from nuclear reactors; and 3) high-temperature direct production of
hydrogen with thermochemical cycles, such as sulfur-based and
copper-chlorine cycles.
Worldwide
nuclear hydrogen programs (source: CEA, France)
Electrolysis.
Electrolysis of water is an existing commercial technology that
decomposes water into oxygen and hydrogen gas due to an electric
current being passed through the water. It provides a stable and
predictable cost of hydrogen not linked to commodity prices such as
natural gas. It also enables a robust and reliable hydrogen supply
due to modular electrolysis platforms and grid electricity backup.
High-temperature electrolysis (HTE), or steam electrolysis, uses
electricity to produce hydrogen from steam, instead of liquid water.
This method can potentially achieve higher efficiencies than standard
electrolysis of water. Technical challenges to commercialization
include the development of high-temperature materials and membranes.
Thermochemical
water-splitting cycles.
Cycles of thermochemical water splitting consist of chemical and
physical processes that are connected together to form a closed
internal loop that re-cycles all compounds on a continuous basis,
without emitting any greenhouse gases. Leading examples include the
sulfur-iodine cycle (maximum operating temperature of about 850oC)
and copper-chlorine cycle (530oC).
These cycles have the potential of higher efficiency and large-scale
production rates. Technological challenges include high temperature
and corrosive operating conditions, materials of construction and
scale-up to large industrial plants. The interface between a nuclear
reactor and the hydrogen plant involves heat exchangers that transfer
heat at elevated temperatures between the plants, new safety and
regulatory issues that will need to be developed, and supporting
systems for chemical processes including hydrogen and oxygen storage.
Visualization
of future nuclear and thermochemical hydrogen plants
Schematic
of copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle
Nuclear
hydrogen future. Nuclear
hydrogen production is a potentially major solution to the problems
of climate change and depleting conventional fuels. Hydrogen is a
clean fuel that does not release carbon dioxide when burned. It can
be used to heat our homes, power our equipment, supply fuel for
vehicles, and many other everyday applications that currently use
oil, coal or natural gas. It also has many other industrial needs.
Hydrogen is needed by petrochemical, agricultural (ammonia for
fertilizers), manufacturing, food processing, electronics, plastics,
metallurgical, aerospace and other industries. Production of biofuels
and other synfuels requires hydrogen.
Visualization
of future nuclear hydrogen infrastructure
Meeting Reports
Contact
Dr. Greg Naterer, Canada Research Chair Professor,
University of Ontario Institute of Technology,
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Email: greg.naterer@uoit.ca
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