Advances in nuclear hydrogen production: Results from an IAEA international collaborative research project

Abstract

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had successfully concluded a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the techno-economic aspects of nuclear hydrogen production with the participation of eleven countries including leading countries on nuclear hydrogen production such as Japan, USA, China, India, Republic of Korea and Canada. The activities carried out through this four-years CRP paved the way for addressing several development key issues related to nuclear hydrogen production. The main focus was on assessing various technological and economic aspects of potential nuclear hydrogen production options. The CRP has resulted in finalizing four detailed case studies on different systems for nuclear hydrogen production. These case studies were used to perform benchmark analysis for the IAEA Hydrogen Economic Evaluation Programme (HEEP), developed by the IAEA to support Member States considering the use of nuclear energy for hydrogen production. This paper highlights some activities, results, and status of international collaborative efforts on nuclear hydrogen production conducted in the Member States (MSs) participated to the CRP. The paper also presents the results of country-specific case studies considering different nuclear reactors and hydrogen technologies.