Nuclear Production of Hydrogen, Fourth Information Exchange ...

PROHYTEC, THE FRENCH INDUSTRIAL PLATFORM FOR MASSIVE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
PROHYTEC, the French industrial platform for massive hydrogen production
Vincent Blet, Sabine Poitou, Thierry Gilardi,
Franck Dechelette, Jean-Claude Maguin, Tony d’Aletto
CEA, DEN, DTN
St. Paul-lez-Durance, France
Abstract
The French Atomic Energy Commission has decided to launch a mutualised platform devoted to research
and technological development on high-temperature processes of hydrogen production coupled with
energy sources which do not emit greenhouse gas. This platform is called PROHYTEC (PROduction
Hydrogen TEChonologies) and will be the French contribution to the demonstration programme part of
the European SUSHYPRO agreement. In this context, PROHYTEC will be ambitious, versatile and
modular.
This platform is built in partnership with local industry leaders in the field and academic partners.
Thus PROHYTEC aims at:
• assessing the industrial feasibility of such processes;
• federating the actors of R&D on topics relative to H 2 production;
• creating an efficient tool for the continuous formation of professionals as well as for the
training of researchers and students.
It will be located inside the centre of Cadarache to benefit from the existing facilities (buildings, fluid
systems, electric power, area).
The planning foreseen is based on the European hydrogen roadmap:
• 2011: Operational electrical hot source simulating a nuclear reactor with a thermal power of
1 MWth.
• 2013: First demonstration of the industrial feasibility of high-temperature steam electrolysis
(HTSE) for H 2 massive production.
• 2015: Extrapolation to a thermal power ranging from 2 to 5 MWth while keeping the same
configuration (i.e. simulation of hydrogen production by HTSE coupled with a nuclear reactor).
• >2012: Demonstration of industrial interest of other thermochemical cycles for massive
production of H 2 depending on the conclusions of the Hycycles project funded under the
7 th Framework Programme (2008-2011). This configuration will require the implementation
in PROHYTEC of an intermediate helium circuit at high temperature. A precise schedule is
remains to be set up.
Some preliminary figures are given in order to illustrate what PROHYTEC will be.
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