Thermochemical equipment design for a lab-scale demonstration of hydrogen production with a copper-chlorine cycle

最近全球对高油价和气候变化的紧迫性是由石油储备枯竭和二氧化碳排放造成的全球变暖所驱动的。社会对石油的依赖在环境和经济上都是不可持续的。它威胁到地缘政治稳定，对许多国家来说，它是一个最严重的国家安全问题。在这个国家，加拿大人希望把一个干净的环境传给下一代。他们期待着能够缓解气候变化、烟雾、酸雨和污染的技术创新。在工作场所，他们希望在易受高油价影响的行业保持竞争力，如制造业、汽车业和航空航天业。与碳氢化合物不同，氢是一种可持续的清洁能源载体。它被广泛认为是世界上的下一代燃料。安大略已经开始向氢燃料经济发展。例如，位于多伦多展览中心的HyLYZER加气站是多伦多氢气村的一部分。该站利用风能每天生产约65公斤氢气，可为约20辆汽车提供氢气。不幸的是，风力发电无法产生全球氢经济所需的一致的大规模氢容量。此外，作为排放温室气体的碳基技术，现有的主要工艺（蒸汽甲烷重整; SMR）也是不合适的。一个非常有前途的替代方案，没有温室气体排放，使用核热进行水的热化学分解。本研究的重点是铜-氯（Cu-Cl）循环制氢。它为循环中的氧气和电解工艺开发创新设计。该项目包括几名研究生和在安大略理工大学（UOIT）与加拿大原子能有限公司（AECL）合作进行的研究。

Recent worldwide urgency regarding high oil prices and climate change has been driven by depleting oil reserves and global warming, due to carbon dioxide emissions. Society's dependence on petroleum is unsustainable, both environmentally and economically. It threatens geopolitical stability and for many countries, it is a most serious issue of national security. In this country, Canadians wish to pass a clean environment to the next generations. They look forward to technological innovation that can mitigate climate change, smog, acid rain and pollution. At the workplace, they wish to stay competitive in industries vulnerable to high oil prices, such as the manufacturing, automotive and aerospace sectors. Unlike hydrocarbons, hydrogen is a sustainable and clean energy carrier. It is widely believed to be the world's next-generation fuel. Ontario has already begun to move towards a hydrogen-fueled economy. For example, the HyLYZER refueling station at Exhibition Place in Toronto is part of Toronto's Hydrogen Village. The station produces about 65 kg of hydrogen per day using wind energy, which can supply hydrogen for about 20 vehicles. Unfortunately, wind power is incapable of producing consistent large-scale capacities of hydrogen needed for a worldwide Hydrogen Economy. Furthermore, as a carbon-based technology that emits greenhouse gases, the predominant existing process (steam-methane reforming; SMR) is also unsuitable. A highly promising alternative without greenhouse gas emissions uses nuclear heat for thermochemical decomposition of water. This research focuses on a copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle for hydrogen production. It develops innovative designs for oxygen and electrowinning processes within the cycle. The project includes several graduate students and research conducted at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), in collaboration with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL).