MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION OF A PWR NUCLEAR COGENERATION PLANT FOR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION

Abstract

In this paper, the multiobjective optimization of a nuclear cogeneration plant for hydrogen production is carried out. The analysis focuses on the secondary cycle of a pressurized water reactor nuclear cogeneration plant providing process heat and electrical energy to a high-temperature steam electrolysis facility. The utopia point method is used to determine the values of heat/electricity energy ratio, hydrogen production capacity, live steam temperature and steam extraction node that yield a compromise optimum solution between thermal efficiency, thermal-to-hydrogen production efficiency, exergy efficiency and utilization factor. For a hydrogen production capacity of 7 kg/s, an energy ratio of 0.0561 results with the best overall performance, while an energy ratio of 0.10 gives the best performance for a capacity of 0.1 kg/s. © 2022 Proceedings of WHEC 2022 - 23rd World Hydrogen Energy Conference: Bridging Continents by H2. All rights reserved.