Title: Efficiency of a conceptual design of a high temperature electrolysis system coupled to a VHTR for nuclear hydrogen production

Authors: Daniel González Rodríguez; Carlos Alberto Brayner de Oliveira Lira; Lázaro García Parra; Carlos García Hernández; Raciel De la Torre Valdés

Addresses: Departamento de Energia Nuclear, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Ave. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000, 50740-420 Recife, PE, Brazil; Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC/Cuba), Av. Salvador Allende and Luaces, La Habana, Cuba ' Departamento de Energia Nuclear, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Ave. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000, 50740-420 Recife, PE, Brazil ' Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC/Cuba), Av. Salvador Allende and Luaces, La Habana, Cuba ' Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC/Cuba), Av. Salvador Allende and Luaces, La Habana, Cuba ' Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC/Cuba), Av. Salvador Allende and Luaces, La Habana, Cuba

Abstract: High temperature electrolysis process coupled to a very high temperature reactor is one of the most promising methods for hydrogen production using a nuclear reactor as the primary energy source. A computational fluid dynamic model for the evaluation and optimisation of the electrolyser of a high temperature electrolysis hydrogen production process flowsheet was developed using ANSYS FLUENT®. Electrolyser's operational and design parameters will be optimised in order to obtain the maximum hydrogen production and the higher efficiency in the module. A complete flowsheet is proposed for the high temperature electrolysis process coupled to an accelerator driven system, considering a Brayton cycle for the energy production and a sweep gas system for the gas separation. An acceptable value of global efficiency for the initial operating condition is obtained. Several parametric studies are conducted using the flowsheet proposed to evaluate important operating parameters in the overall process efficiency.

Keywords: high temperature electrolysis; HTE; nuclear hydrogen production; electrolyser efficiency; computational fluid dynamics; CFD; conceptual design; VHTR; very high temperature reactors; modelling; Brayton cycle; sweep gas system; gas separation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNHPA.2016.078433

International Journal of Nuclear Hydrogen Production and Applications, 2016 Vol.3 No.1, pp.32 - 64

Received: 12 Dec 2015
Accepted: 04 Apr 2016
Published online: 17 Aug 2016 *

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