Overview

Hydrogen is set to play an ever-increasing role in the energy economy as a key fuel to help meet net-zero targets and decarbonise sectors that are difficult to electrify. Nuclear-derived hydrogen should play a large part in that supply network.

However, coupling hydrogen production with a nuclear reactor affects each process in the chain: the reactor itself, the heat transfer loops and generating operations, the chosen hydrogen production process, and further treatment to the hydrogen such as compression or fuel synthesis. While coupling with nuclear offers opportunities for more efficient processes, it also creates system interactions between interlinked processes and raises safety and operability concerns that need to be analysed and addressed.

This talk describes how modelling increases understanding and forms the basis of optioneering, as well as industrial viability and safety assessments. It also describes how NNL are building a toolkit that cuts across economic modelling, balance of plant and chemical synthesis as part of a programme of work to investigate hydrogen generation from nuclear.

Speaker

Christopher Connolly, Process Modeller, Nuclear Operations, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)

Christopher Connolly has a Masters degree in Chemical and Process engineering from the University of Strathclyde, where he received the Scottish Branch Prize from the IChemE. Following University he took on a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) role with NNL and Strathclyde where he developed a steady state hybrid-mechanistic model of the calciner in the Vitrification Test Rig (VTR). Christopher then came back to NNL in 2019 and since becoming a permanent member of the Chemical and Process Modelling team he has worked on a variety of projects including creating the high-profile Sim Plant tool for BEIS as part of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme.

More recently, Christopher has been part of NNL’s team working on Nuclear-Derived Hydrogen, tasked with modelling production process options including alkaline electrolysis, PEM, solid oxide steam electrolysis and thermochemical cycles - while supporting collaborative projects with partners in the UK Gas Network.

Webinar archive

This webinar is free of charge and open to all to attend, but if you wish to access the slides and a recording to replay on demand then you will need to be a member of the Nuclear Technology Special Interest Group.