Preliminary cost estimation for large-scale nuclear hydrogen production based on SI process

초고온가스원자로 열원 SI 공정을 이용한 원자력수소생산시스템 비용 예비 분석

As a preliminary study of cost estimates for nuclear hydrogen systems, the hydrogen production costs of the nuclear energy sources benchmarking GT-MHR are estimated in the necessary input data on a Korean specific basis. G4-ECONS developed by EMWG of GIF in 2008 was appropriately modified to calculate the cost for hydrogen production of SI process with VHTR as a thermal energy source rather than the LUEC. The estimated costs presented in this paper show that hydrogen production by the VHTR could be competitive with current techniques of hydrogen production from fossil fuels if $CO_2$ capture and sequestration is required. Nuclear production of hydrogen would allow large-scale production of hydrogen at economic prices while avoiding the release of $CO_2$. Nuclear production of hydrogen could thus become the enabling technology for the hydrogen economy. The major factors that would affect the cost of hydrogen were also discussed.