William A. Summers

Development of a Sulfur Dioxide Depolarized Electrolyzer for Hydrogen Production Using the Hybrid Sulfur Thermochemical Process

The Hybrid Sulfur Process is a leading candidate among the thermochemical cycles being developed to use heat from advanced nuclear reactors to produce hydrogen via watersplitting. It has the potential for high efficiency, competitive cost of hydrogen, and it has been demonstrated at a laboratory scale to confirm performance characteristics. The major developmental issues with the HyS Process involve the design and performance of a sulfur dioxide depolarized electrolyzer, the key component for conducting the electrochemical step in the process. This paper will discuss the development program and current status for the SDE being conducted at the Savannah River National Laboratory.Copyright

An Efficient Hybrid Sulfur Process Using PEM Electrolysis With a Bayonet Decomposition Reactor

The Hybrid Sulfur (HyS) Process is being developed to produce hydrogen by water-splitting using heat from advanced nuclear reactors. It has the potential for high efficiency and competitive hydrogen production cost, and has been demonstrated at a laboratory scale.Copyright

Investigation of the Impact of Temperature on Hydrogen Production Cost From Advanced Water Splitting Technologies

One of the key technology challenges in the development of water splitting technologies is the requirement for high temperature process heat. High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs) can supply this heat, but challenges multiply as the reactor outlet temperature, and therefore the maximum process temperature rises. A reasonable implementation strategy for applying HTGRs to these technologies would be to begin with a reactor outlet and a maximum process temperature that is achievable with today’s technology and increase those temperatures in stages as improved technology emerges. This paper investigates what those temperatures should be in the first commercial demonstration by examining the effect of these temperatures on the cost of production of hydrogen. Parameters investigated include the fundamental thermodynamic limits of each technology, reaction kinetics, materials of construction cost, process complexity, component expected life, and availability. Based on this study, comparisons are made between the leading water splitting technologies and the advantages and disadvantages of each are explained.Copyright