A Preliminary Thermodynamic Model of Hydrogen Generation Using Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) Coupled With a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

To pave the way for industrial-scale hydrogen production using the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), it is necessary to assess the technical feasibility of various hydrogen production processes coupled with a HTGR. In this paper, several promising hydrogen production methods were compared from the perspectives of technological maturity, economic viability, and coupling efficiency with HTGR plants. Among these methods, the solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) hydrogen production technology was considered the most promising approach due to its high efficiency and ease of industrial-scale production. A preliminary thermodynamic model was established for the HTGR-SOEC co-generation plant based on the parameters of a typical HTGR with a full power of 250 MWe and a steam temperature of 540 °C. The normal operating current and voltage of the SOECs coupled with HTGR were chosen as 1 A and 1.287 v, respectively, and SOEC modules were stacked together in the thermodynamic model to achieve the final hydrogen output. Key parameters that influence the hydrogen production rate and efficiency were simulated and discussed in detail using the thermodynamic model. Current research has deepened the study of carbon-free hydrogen production technology using nuclear energy and provided useful insights for future hydrogen-electricity co-generation applications.