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EXERGY ANALYSIS OF THE Cu-Cl CYCLE
Exergy analysis of the Cu-Cl cycle
Jean-Marc Borgard, Denis Doizi, Philippe Carles
CEA, DEN, Department of Physical Chemistry
Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Abstract
The CuCl cycle is a hybrid thermochemical cycle to produce hydrogen using both electricity and heat to
split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Already described in the early 70s, it has recently been revisited
because of its low maximal temperature and its high potential efficiency. Furthermore, raw materials
are cheap, which allows a drastic diminution of constraints for industrial deployment.
All steps have been demonstrated in laboratory. However they have been demonstrated in conditions
where they cannot be easily coupled together, which may induce unexpected issues in an effective
cycle. This paper will focus on issues for cycle integration, as well as giving potential improvement
ideas from the exergetic point of view.
NUCLEAR PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN – © OECD/NEA 2010 259