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

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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).