Nuclear Production of Hydrogen, Fourth Information Exchange ...

PRESENT STATUS OF HTGR AND HYDROGEN PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT IN JAEA
Figure 1: Future demands of hydrogen
60
(Gm 3 /Year)
Amount of hydrogen demand
40
20
0
Fuel cell for household
Fuel cell vehicle
38.7
10 GW
5 million cars
2.1 GW
50000 cars
7.3
0.15
2000 2010 2020
54.4
12.5 GW
15 million cars
2030 Year
Figure 2: Methods of hydrogen production
Fossilfuel
(N aturalgas,
Coal,O il)
M aterials
Energy source
Fossilfuel
energy
Nuclear energy
Steam Reforming
N aturalgas,C oal,O il
N aturalenergy
Solar,W ind,H ydropow er
CO 2 em ission
Hydrogen
Water
Electrolysis
Therm ochem icalw ater splitting
Clean
because of rather high electricity cost at least in Japan and relatively low thermal efficiency. The
thermochemical water-splitting method by using high temperature heat from HTGR is recognised to
have a high potential to produce hydrogen with high economy and high efficiency.
HTGR development in JAEA
HTTR project in JAEA
Japanese industries including Toshiba, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fuji Electric, Toyo Tanso, Nuclear
Fuel Industries, etc., are developing the HTGR jointly with JAEA. The industrial and public information
exchange is supported by the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), the Research Association of
High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Plant (RAHP), etc.
JAEA constructed a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor named the High-temperature Engineering
Test Reactor (HTTR), combining the technology strengths of the above-mentioned Japanese
companies, at JAEA’s Oarai Research and Development Centre. The HTTR is a graphite-moderated and
helium gas-cooled reactor with 30 MW of thermal power, which is the first HTGR in Japan.
The HTTR project is ongoing with present and future objectives to establish the HTGR technology
and heat utilisation technology. The latter includes hydrogen production technology and commercial
plant design and gas turbine technology.
NUCLEAR PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN – © OECD/NEA 2010 49