Coupling of copper–chloride hybrid thermochemical water splitting cycle with a desalination plant for hydrogen production from nuclear energy Mehmet F. Orhan, Ibrahim Dincer, Greg F. Naterer*, Marc A. Rosen Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 7K4, Canada article info Article history: Received 2 October 2009 Received in revised form 26 November 2009 Accepted 26 November 2009 Available online 24 December 2009 Keywords: Copper–chloride cycle Desalination Efficiency Hydrogen production Nuclear energy abstract Energy and environmental concerns have motivated research on clean energy resources. Nuclear energy has the potential to provide a significant share of energy supply without contributing to environmental emissions and climate change. Nuclear energy has been used mainly for electric power generation, but hydrogen production via thermochemical water decomposition provides another pathway for the utilization of nuclear thermal energy. One option for nuclear-based hydrogen production via thermochemical water decomposition uses a copper–chloride (Cu–Cl) cycle. Another societal concern relates to supplies of fresh water. Thus, to avoid causing one problem while solving another, hydrogen could be produced from seawater rather than limited fresh water sources. In this study we analyze a coupling of the Cu–Cl cycle with a desalination plant for hydrogen production from nuclear energy and seawater. Desalination technologies are reviewed comprehensively to determine the most appropriate option for the Cu–Cl cycle and a thermodynamic analysis and several parametric studies of this coupled system are presented for various configurations. ª 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Problems due to the use of fossil fuels can be resolved in part by utilizing renewable resources, such as biomass, solar, wind and geothermal energy. Such resources can be beneficial in urban centers as well as remote and isolated areas. Many developing countries that have large land areas but limited access to electric grids have found renewable energies to be advantageous. Energy resources that are clean, economic, safe and abundant and related technologies provide the potential to mitigate global warming and to become large-scale energy supply options. Many suggest that nuclear energy may contribute a significant share of energy supply well into the future. Nuclear energy has been almost exclusively utilized in the past for electricity generation, but the direct utilization of nuclear thermal energy provides the potential to increase efficiency and thereby facilitate energy savings. Hydrogen production has been cited as a potentially beneficial use for nuclear thermal energy for over 30 years and interest is now growing [1]. Hydrogen is considered by many to be a useful and necessary future chemical energy carrier, and interest in hydrogen energy is correspondingly growing. Most of the hydrogen produced worldwide today is from fossil fuels, primarily through steam reforming of natural gas. The nuclear * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: mehmet.orhan@uoit.ca (M.F. Orhan), ibrahim.dincer@uoit.ca (I. Dincer), greg.naterer@uoit.ca (G.F. Naterer), marc. rosen@uoit.ca (M.A. Rosen). Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he international journal of hydrogen energy 35 (2010) 1560–1574 0360-3199/$ – see front matter ª 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2009.11.106