Coupling nuclear and hydrogen-production technologies could enable affordable alternative to fossil fuel

Power infrastructure of the long run may look very completely different to the infrastructure we depend on at this time. Analysis by a group of consultants from the Nationwide Nuclear Laboratory reveals that powering hydrogen manufacturing utilizing nuclear power could possibly be economically viable.

This analysis was printed within the journal New Energy Exploitation and Application.

Mark Bankhead, Chemical Modeling Crew Supervisor, explains the background to the analysis, “Hydrogen and hydrogen-derived various liquid fuels are a key enabler for the UK to achieve internet zero emissions by 2050. Nuclear energy might be coupled to completely different hydrogen-producing applied sciences. To tell our technique for demonstrating the worth of those applied sciences by the 2030s, we developed a mannequin that gives perception into their techno-economic efficiency.

“There are competitive advantages of thermochemical hydrogen production coupled with a High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR), and we know there is more work to do to optimize these technologies and realize the potential of this technology.”

A brand new method of figuring out effectivity and prices

In a brand new method to figuring out the economics of those applied sciences, a ground-breaking mathematical model was constructed which coupled nuclear power to hydrogen-producing expertise. The mannequin permits completely different hydrogen manufacturing applied sciences to be coupled, which signifies that completely different situations might be in contrast.

The mannequin was constructed in two elements. First, the bodily and chemical processes of various hydrogen manufacturing applied sciences had been modeled. This offered a novel methodology of figuring out the general effectivity of those industrial processes by expressing the output of the mannequin as models of hydrogen produced per unit of power provided. Within the second a part of the mannequin, this measure of effectivity was fed into an financial mannequin.

Kate Taylor, a course of modeler at NNL, labored on the economic modelsays, “As a way to decide the promoting worth of hydrogen, the mannequin combines the price of constructing and working a hydrogen plant with the price of the electrical energy and/or warmth wanted to produce it.

“We also included estimates on how hydrogen-producing technology will improve, and how building a fleet of nuclear reactors will refine our knowledge of coupling nuclear plants to these technologies. We are predicting what will happen in the future based on our current knowledge of technology development. And the predictions are very encouraging.”

Testing completely different situations

Hydrogen might be produced utilizing excessive temperature steam electrolysis which requires each warmth and electrical energy. It may also be produced utilizing a thermochemical cycle which solely requires warmth. Within the modeling, each sorts of expertise had been coupled to a excessive temperature gasoline reactor, a complicated sort of nuclear energy.

The mannequin confirmed that prime temperature steam electrolysis could possibly be an economical method of manufacturing hydrogen when coupled to a excessive temperature gasoline reactor, with a value estimate of 1.24 to 2.14 £/kg, whereas, for a thermochemical cycle it’s 0.89 to 2.88 £/kg.

Steam electrolysis is a extra developed expertise than any thermochemical cycle, which signifies that, not solely is there much less variation within the estimated value, however deployment can occur sooner. In comparison with different low-carbon power manufacturing applied sciences that may be coupled to hydrogen manufacturing vegetation, these outcomes present that the prices concerned with nuclear energy are aggressive.

The mannequin is a perfect start line for evaluating applied sciences. Christopher Connolly, a course of modeler at NNL and lead writer of the research, developed fashions of the bodily and chemical processes. He explains how developments in hydrogen manufacturing applied sciences can enhance the mannequin as a result of it depends on information that describes how molecules transfer about and work together with the supplies used to supply hydrogen.

Connolly says, “Predicting the efficiency of hydrogen production means that you need to model the practical processes used to split water. Finding dependable information on the kinetics of some processes on the innovative of fabric property design could be a problem and the expertise is enhancing on a regular basis.

“For example, when we looked at high temperature steam electrolysis, we needed to build a model of the electrolysis cells which use a solid oxide as the electrolyte. The solid oxide is typically made of yttria-stabilized zirconia, but variations of this oxide are used in different designs. Ultimately, the performance of the electrolyte depends on how well it is made.”

Predicting the long run

Price-effective manufacturing of hydrogen is only one benefit of nuclear expertise. Though the research solely modeled the effectivity of chemical and physical processes for hydrogen-production expertise, there are different benefits in coupling these applied sciences to nuclear energy, corresponding to a excessive capability to supply hydrogen, flexibility in sitting near customers, and the power to scale-up deployment. Nuclear energy additionally represents a dependable, non-intermittent energy supply which would cut back the requirement for buffer storage of hydrogen.

A excessive temperature gasoline reactor is already in improvement and a demonstrator is deliberate within the UK for the 2030s. Within the interim, different sorts of nuclear technology could possibly be coupled to a hydrogen manufacturing plant to assist meet internet zero targets.