High-temperature gas cooling for hydrogen production! ! What do you all think? ? ? ?

Discussion on the Development and Approaches for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors and Nuclear Hydrogen Production Technologies. High-temperature gas-cooled reactors boast excellent inherent safety features and a high coolant outlet temperature; in addition to power generation, they offer advantages in the comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy for applications such as hydrogen production and the supply of high-temperature steam, making them an ideal reactor type for fourth-generation advanced nuclear systems. China began research and development on high-temperature gas-cooled reactors in the 1970s. In 2001, a 10-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor was built at the Nuclear Research Institute of Tsinghua University, and full-power operation was achieved in 2003 ； Subsequently, extensive research and development work was carried out, including safety verification under the condition of the helium blower being shut down. In 2006, a major scientific and technological project titled **\"Large-scale Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor and High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Nuclear Power Plants\"** was established ； Through the close cooperation of institutions such as Tsinghua University, China National Nuclear Corporation, and Huaneng Group, significant progress and achievements have been made in this major project. In September 2021, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration power plant reached criticality for the first time, and by December 2022 it achieved initial full power operation for both reactors, enabling stable operation in the \"two reactors with one turbine\" configuration and laying the foundation for the commercial operation of the facility. These achievements indicate that China is at the international leading level in the field of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. By combining high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology with advanced hydrogen production techniques, it is possible to produce carbon-free hydrogen on a large scale, in an efficient, continuous, and stable manner. This approach has the potential to become one of the key solutions for ensuring a large-scale supply of hydrogen in our country, as well as a crucial breakthrough for gaining an advantage in fourth-generation nuclear energy technologies, nuclear hydrogen production, and their comprehensive utilization. With the support of major special projects, Tsinghua University began in 2006 to research and develop technologies for producing hydrogen through thermochemical cycle water splitting and high-temperature steam electrolysis, using high-temperature gas-cooled reactor processes as a background. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, a hydrogen production facility on a laboratory scale was built and brought into continuous operation, thereby resolving the key process issues associated with hydrogen production technology ； “During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, research was focused on key equipment for hydrogen production via thermochemical cycles, intermediate heat exchangers, and the safety aspects of hydrogen production using nuclear energy. Currently, work is underway on scaling up the equipment and designing pilot-scale hydrogen production plants, and the conditions are now in place to carry out pilot-scale tests and demonstrations. Currently, hydrogen production using high-temperature gas-cooled reactors is in a critical phase of research and development, with key technologies requiring accelerated breakthroughs. Hydrogen production using high-temperature gas-cooled reactors requires raising the outlet temperature from the current 750 degrees Celsius to around 950 degrees Celsius. Under such ultra-high-temperature operating conditions, a range of engineering challenges arise in areas such as the physical and thermal design of the reactors, safety analysis, development of engineering materials, as well as the design of key equipment like intermediate heat exchangers. Additionally, there are challenges related to scaling up equipment for pilot-scale tests of thermochemical hydrogen production processes, system optimization, and integration with high-temperature reactors. It is therefore imperative to maintain sustained and intensive investment in research and development. Efforts should be focused on carrying out pilot-scale demonstrations of hydrogen production using high-temperature reactors, as well as research on integrated supply systems that combine hydrogen, electricity, and heat generated by nuclear energy, along with their application in industrial fields, in order to preserve China’s leading technological advantages in the field of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors.

In terms of the technical approach, given the unique advantages of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors in providing thermal energy, hydrogen production technologies should consider a route that makes use primarily of the thermal energy generated by these reactors, thereby reducing or even eliminating carbon emissions during the hydrogen production process. To this end, in the near to medium term, focus should be placed on developing nuclear-heat-assisted methane reforming, a technology that is relatively mature and can reduce carbon emissions, with engineering-scale demonstrations to be carried out ； Carry out pilot demonstrations of carbon-free thermochemical cycle hydrogen production ； In the medium to long term, it is aimed to achieve comprehensive energy supply using high-temperature reactors, with hydrogen production through the thermochemical cycle for water decomposition as the core technology, and to integrate this system with large-scale applications that require hydrogen such as hydrogen metallurgy and petrochemical industries. Nuclear hydrogen production holds great prospects, and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor-based hydrogen production is expected to serve as a key breakthrough that will enable China’s nuclear hydrogen industry to lead the world and achieve a high level of technological self-reliance. Based on the current status of technology and industrial development in our country, we believe that by 2035 it will be possible to achieve large-scale deployment of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor-based hydrogen production technologies. By 2060, such technologies should be capable of producing 20 million tons of hydrogen per year, meeting 15%–20% of China’s hydrogen demand and thus matching the role of nuclear power generation in the country’s electricity supply.