Clean hydrogen production with the Cu–Cl cycle – Progress of international consortium, I: Experimental unit operations

Advancement of the thermochemical copper–chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle for hydrogen production is reviewed and discussed in this paper. Individual unit operations and their linkage into an integrated cycle are being developed by a Canadian consortium, as part of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) for hydrogen production with the next generation of nuclear reactors. This paper focuses on the consortium’s latest advances on the Cu–Cl cycle, particularly with respect to hydrogen production with Canada’s Generation IV reactor, called SCWR (Super-Critical Water Reactor). Other heat sources may also be utilized for the Cu–Cl cycle, such as solar energy or industrial waste heat. In this first of two companion papers, recent developments in Canada’s nuclear hydrogen program are reported, specifically unit operation experiments of the Cu–Cl cycle and system integration. The following second companion paper will present system modeling with Aspen Plus, corrosion resistant materials, thermochemistry, safety, and reliability aspects of the Cu–Cl cycle.