Analysis of Economic and Infrastructure Issues Associated with HydrogenProduction from Nuclear Energy

摘要

Consideration is being given to the large-scale transition of the world's energy system from one basedon carbon fuels to one based on the use of hydrogen as the energy carrier. This transition is necessitatedby the declining resource base of conventional oil and gas, air quality concerns, and the threat of globalclimate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions. Since hydrogen can be produced from water usingnon-carbon primary energy sources, it is the ideal sustainable fuel. The options for producing thehydrogen include renewables (e.g. solar and wind), fossil fuels with carbon sequestration, and nuclearenergy. A comprehensive study has been initiated to define economically feasible concepts and todetermine estimates of efficiency and cost for hydrogen production using next generation nuclearreactors. A unique aspect of the study is the assessment of the integration of a nuclear plant, a hydrogenproduction process and the broader infrastructure requirements. Hydrogen infrastructure issues directlyrelated to nuclear hydrogen production are being addressed, and the projected cost, value and end-usemarket for hydrogen will be determined. The infrastructure issues are critical, since the combined costof storing, transporting, distributing, and retailing the hydrogen product could well exceed the cost ofhydrogen production measured at the plant gate. The results are expected to be useful in establishing thepotential role that nuclear hydrogen can play in the future hydrogen economy. Approximately half ofthe three-year study has been completed. Results to date indicate that nuclear produced hydrogen can becompetitive with hydrogen produced from natural gas for use at oil refineries or ammonia plants,indicating a potential early market opportunity for large-scale centralized hydrogen production.Extension of the hydrogen infrastructure from these large industrial users to distributed hydrogen userssuch as refueling stations and fuel cell generators could facilitate the establishment of a broad-basedhydrogen economy.