Cost assessment of selected nuclear driven hybrid thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production

Abstract

This article presents compared cost assessment of selected nuclear-driven hybrid thermochemical cycles using International Atomic Energy's (IAEA) Hydrogen Economy Evaluation Program (HEEP). Cost estimations are made and evaluated for capital, fuel, decommissioning, O&B, and consumables, in addition to thermal energy and electricity cost details. Thanks to the data obtained with these cost estimates, 4 different nuclear hydrogen production systems were evaluated comparatively. Hybrid thermochemical cycles are expected to decrease operational expenses for hydrogen production. However, the capital expenses might be higher than pure electrolysis since they require more components for balance of plant components (BoP). The results obtained indicated that the levelized cost of hydrogen is 10%–30% less in the case of selected hybrid thermochemical cycles than that of pure electrochemical cycle.