Current Status and Prospects of Technology Development for Hydrogen Production Using High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor

Abstract

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a next-generation innovative reactor with excellent safety. Hydrogen can be produced from raw materials such as water and methane by supplying heat, steam, and electricity generated by HTGR to the hydrogen production process. Hydrogen production methods using high-temperature heat, which are the advantage of HTGR, include a steam reforming of methane, high-temperature steam electrolysis, and thermochemical water decomposition. This report provides an overview of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and their hydrogen production technologies, as well as the status and prospects of research and development of HTGR’s hydrogen production technologies in JAEA.