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Title: LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN BY NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/814028· OSTI ID:814028

OAK B202 LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN BY NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY. The ''Hydrogen Economy'' will reduce petroleum imports and greenhouse gas emissions. However, current commercial hydrogen production processes use fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide. Hydrogen produced from nuclear energy could avoid these concerns. The authors have recently completed a three-year project for the US Department of Energy whose objective was to ''define an economically feasible concept for production of hydrogen, by nuclear means, using an advanced high-temperature nuclear reactor as the energy source''. Thermochemical water-splitting, a chemical process that accomplishes the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, met this objective. The goal of the first phase of this study was to evaluate thermochemical processes which offer the potential for efficient, cost-effective, large-scale production of hydrogen and to select one for further detailed consideration. The authors selected the Sulfur-Iodine cycle, In the second phase, they reviewed all the basic reactor types for suitability to provide the high temperature heat needed by the selected thermochemical water splitting cycle and chose the helium gas-cooled reactor. In the third phase they designed the chemical flowsheet for the thermochemical process and estimated the efficiency and cost of the process and the projected cost of producing hydrogen. These results are summarized in this paper.

Research Organization:
General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
(US)
DOE Contract Number:
FG03-99SF21888
OSTI ID:
814028
Resource Relation:
Conference: THIS IS A PREPRINT OF A PAPER TO BE PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL HYDROGEN ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE APRIL 6-9, 2002, IN WASHINTON, DC, AND TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE PROCEEDINGS.; Other Information: THIS IS A PREPRINT OF A PAPER TO BE PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL HYDROGEN ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE, WASHINGTON, DC (US), 04/06/2002--04/09/2002; PBD: 1 Feb 2003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English