NuScale Power Launches World's First Integrated Hydrogen, Electricity, and Clean Water Simulator
Key Ideas
- NuScale Power, in partnership with GSE Solutions, has developed a simulator that demonstrates simultaneous production of hydrogen, electricity, and clean water in a small modular nuclear reactor.
- The system showcases high-temperature nuclear-powered steam electrolysis for clean hydrogen production, offering up to 200 metric tons of hydrogen per day.
- NuScale's technology aims to provide more stable and sustainable hydrogen production compared to alternative energy sources, leveraging nuclear power's base-load profile.
- The modular and transportable nature of the system addresses global demand for decentralized, low-carbon industrial solutions, capable of producing clean drinking water and electricity for millions.
NuScale Power, in collaboration with GSE Solutions, has unveiled the world's first fully integrated simulator that combines the production of hydrogen, electricity, and clean water within a small modular nuclear reactor. This breakthrough technology showcases the potential of high-temperature nuclear-powered steam electrolysis to generate clean hydrogen, with a remarkable capacity of up to 200 metric tons per day.
The key innovation lies in the selectable solid oxide fuel cells that enable the concurrent generation of electricity, hydrogen, and clean water, demonstrating real-time hydrogen production. NuScale Power plans to make this simulator accessible to scientists and energy students to facilitate training, curriculum development, and talent pool establishment in the hydrogen sector, aligning with the company's mission to promote sustainable and modular hydrogen production infrastructure.
Furthermore, the system's reliability surpasses other hydrogen production methods based on alternative energy sources, with NuScale leveraging nuclear power's consistent base-load profile. The modular and portable design of the system caters to the rising global demand for decentralized, low-carbon industrial solutions. In a notable study, a single NuScale energy module was projected to produce 567.8 million liters of clean drinking water daily through reverse osmosis, emission-free.
Moreover, the system's scalability was evident in multi-module configurations, where 12 or more energy modules could provide drinking water to 2.3 million individuals and electricity to 400,000 homes. An innovative aspect of the solution is the ability to recycle desalination brine. Collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NuScale is progressing a hydrothermal chemical process to convert brine into hydrogen feedstock, eliminating the conventional electrolysis requirement and reducing energy and freshwater consumption. This pioneering initiative signifies a significant advancement in sustainable energy production and underscores the potential synergy between nuclear technology and hydrogen generation.