Водородная энергетика

Hydrogene Power Engineering

Hydrogen Power Engineering

Hydrogen Power Engineering
Presently, considering limited oil and gas recourses, activities on alternate fuel search are being carried out throughout the world. In power industry, these can be uranium and other fissile materials, coal and shale gas with new low-waste burning techniques. But it is difficult to use power plants based on these fuels for transport as their dimensions are relatively large.
The most prospective substitute for gasoline and diesel motor fuels can be hydrogen fuel, which produces standard water steam as the exhaust. Nowadays, hydrogen is produced using electrolysis mainly for the needs of the chemical industry. This generation technique is rather recourse-intensive. Meanwhile, commercial grade hydrogen generation can be executed using heat power from nuclear high-temperature reactors. Even now, when serial production of such reactors is not initiated (which will reduce their cost value) the cost of hydrogen fuel generated in these plants is assessed not higher than the current gasoline cost.

Hydrogen Motor Cars

In OKBM, activities on high-temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGR) were initiated at the end of 1973. From mid 80s, this project has become the only domestic high-temperature reactor technology project on account of its competitiveness.

HTGRs are conceptually new type of universal ecologically clean nuclear power sources. Their unique properties, capacity to generate heat of temperature up to 1000C and high safety level, determine wide opportunities to use reactor of this type to supply with heat process procedures in different industry branches (chemical industry, oil refinery, metallurgy), to generate electrical power of high efficiency and highly efficiently generate hydrogen fuel.

HTGRs Safety

An inert helium gas used as the coolant in reactors of this type do not chemically react with the moderator material, graphite, even at very high temperatures. Fuel is arranged in not large spherical ceramic capsules, which do not disintegrate under the action of high temperatures. Therefore, any cases of both the internal origin (personnel actions, equipment malfunctions) and external origin (thermal, dynamic effect on the plant) can not result in rector core melting.

For more information download the booklets

GT-MGR - the international gas turbine modular helium reactor project

State-of-the-Art and Prospective Hydrogen Applications
(in the order of increasing consumption rate)

Industry Branches, Hydrogen Consumers	Hydrogen Process Application	Hydrogen Consumption Rates (Typical Ranges)	Ways to Supply with Hydrogen Relevant Plants, Equipment etc.
Electronics, semiconductor, computer manufacturing	Material impurity purification	Small and infinitesimal, as low as 2.4 – 2.5 thous. nm3/day (up to 200 – 220 kg/day)	Water electrolysis at the consumption site, delivery from the specialized production facilities in pressure cylinders or as a liquefied gas, methanol or ammonia decomposition at the site, hydrogen deliveries in hydride accumulators
Communication	Manufacturing optical fiber
Pharmaceutics	Manufacturing large quantity of medical supplies, purifying raw material
Scientific research	Creating ultralow temperatures up to 14 – 150K using liquid hydrogen evaporation (including in vacuum)
Institutions, offices, population	Power supply for computers, mobile phones etc.
Small- and medium-scale power	As a fuel at hydrogen fuel-element peak and maneuver electric power plants	Small and average, up to 12 thous. nm3/day (up to 1000 kg/day)	Water electrolysis at the consumption site (including usage of renewable power types), delivery from the specialized production facilities in pressure cylinders or as a liquefied gas, small hydrocarbon reforming plants
	As a fuel in autonomous systems (distributed systems of small-scale power industry)
	As a coolant for cooling high-capacity electrical generators
	As a power preserving agent – hydrogen generation during underloading hours with reverse electrical power generation to cover peak power consumption loads
	As a fuel in hydrogen-based gas turbine plants
Transport (mainly cars, buses)	As a fuel on hydrogen fuel-element transport vehicles
Transport (mainly cars, buses)	As a motor fuel in hydrogen internal-combustion engines for transport vehicles
Food industry	Hydrogenation of liquid edible fats and oils in order to increase their resistance to oxidizing and thermal impact, obtaining solid oils for margarines
	Hydrogenation of non-edible fats to produce soap, as well as fodders for animal breeding
	Manufacturing sugar substitutes
	Creating hydrogen environment to synthesize food (fodder) proteins using microbiological organisms
Glass industry	Creating reducing atmosphere during glass and quartz making	Average, up to 70 - 72 thous. nm3/day (up to 6.0 t/day)	Steam and autothermal reforming, partial oxidation of hydrocarbon material
Metal processing and machine building	Creating reducing atmosphere against oxidation during metal processing (nonoxidation heating), as well as rolling etc.
Metal processing and machine building	Qualitative metal cutting and welding due to sootless high-temperature (3100C) flame
Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy	Direct ore-reduction iron making	Large, up to 250 thous. nm3/day (up to 6.0 t/day)	Steam and autothermal reforming, partial oxidation of hydrocarbon material
	Processes of direct metal reduction from oxides (for example, from iron ore)
	Powder metallurgy technologies (obtaining powder Fe, Ti, Ni, Co, Cu)
	Annealing stainless steel in hydrogen environment
	Obtaining less-common and nonferrous metals from oxides or acid (molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, germanium etc.) solutions
	Increasing capacity of blast furnaces by substituting a part of the coke with hydrogen-containing reducing gas (Н2 + СО)
Coal conversion and shale processing	Manufacturing synthetic liquid fuels, Fisher – Tropsha technologies
Coal conversion and shale processing	Manufacturing gaseous synthetic fuels
Secondary chemical and oil chemical production facilities	Manufacturing hydrogen peroxide	Large, up to 250 thous. nm3/day (up to 20 t/day)	Steam and autothermal reforming, partial oxidation of hydrocarbon material
	Manufacturing acetic anhydride
	Manufacturing ethylene glycol
	Producing isocyanides (initial products to obtain polyurethanes)
	Producing aromatics
	Producing plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene etc.)
	Producing olefins
	Hydrating aldehydes to alcohol
	Producing caprolactam, aldehydes, ketones, naphthalene
Oil refinery	Hydrofining oil products (gas oil, black oil, medium distillates, gasoline etc.) from sulphides	Large, up to 250 thous. nm3/day (up to 20 t/day)	Steam and autothermal reforming, partial oxidation of hydrocarbon material
	Hydrogen cracking gas oils, heavy gasoline, black oils, bitumen etc
	Stabilizing oil products using hydrating olefins in gasolines and diesel fuels of secondary origin
	Hydra dearomatizating gas oils, diesel fuels, naphtha
	Hydra de-alkylating toluene, xylene and others
	Hydrating benzene
	Producing oils
Base chemistry, fertilizer industry	Producing ammonia
Base chemistry, fertilizer industry	Producing methanol

Table was taken from “Hydrogen generation and usage. Plants technical and investment indices and prospective development trends at the world market”, Reference Report, JSC “PRIMA – KhIMMASH”, St. Petersburg, 2005.

HTGRs Safety

For more information download the booklets

Read more: High-temperature gas-cooled reactors

State-of-the-Art and Prospective Hydrogen Applications(in the order of increasing consumption rate)

State-of-the-Art and Prospective Hydrogen Applications
(in the order of increasing consumption rate)