A study of ammonia-hydrogen-electricity cogeneration coupled to a very high-temperature heat source

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design 2023-12, Vol.414, p.112585, Article 112585
• Main Authors: Liu, Bin, Huang, Jingzhong, Chen, Wei, Liu, Wei, Pan, Liangming, Zhu, Longxiang, Kang, Zongyao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia-hydrogen-electricity cogeneration; Haber-Bosch process; Iodine-sulfur cycle; Very high-temperature heat source
• ISSN: 0029-5493; 1872-759X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2023.112585

•A novel ammonia-hydrogen-electricity cogeneration system was proposed.•The hydrogen-electricity cogeneration systems with a VHTR were reviewed.•The energy of high-temperature oxygen was used for ammonia production.•The total efficiency was improved by coupling the ammonia production. Nuclear hydrogen production is recognized as a promising way of achieving large-scale hydrogen production. However, the high product temperature increases the cost of conventional high-pressure or liquid hydrogen storage and transportation. Ammonia shows considerable promise as a hydrogen carrier. However, vast heat is required in the ammonia production process. Therefore, this paper proposes a model of ammonia production by nuclear heat. The relatively higher grade thermal energy from the reactor is applied for hydrogen production, and the lower is for electricity generation. High-temperature oxygen, a by-product, provides heat for the Haber-Bosch process, converting hydrogen into ammonia and achieving reasonable cascade utilization of energy. The results show that the thermal efficiency production reaches 67.8%. The total energy efficiency increases by 7.5% after introducing ammonia production.