India working on Hydrogen reactor

[SpArK]

India working on Hydrogen reactor​

CHENNAI: India will have hydrogen-fuelled cars in near future as the country’s scientists are working on a fourth generation Very High-Powered Temperature Reactor, according to Atomic Energy Commission Chairman S Banerji.


Speaking to Express, Banerji said the reactor would produce hydrogen for fuel using high-temperature steam electrolysis, which breaks apart the bonds of water molecules. According to sources, the reactor is in the design stage and the process is more energy-efficient than the existing hydrogen production methods. “Under its high temperature reactor programme, India is presently developing a Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) as a technology demonstrator for associated technologies. In addition, several design options for a 600 MW Innovative High Temperature Reactor for commercial hydrogen production are also being evaluated,” said Ratan Kumar Sinha, Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.


“Initial studies indicate selection of pebble bed reactor core with either lead or molten salt-based coolant. It will be finalised after carrying out further studies. Many technologies developed for CHTR would be utilised for this reactor,” Sinha said in his paper ‘Advanced Nuclear Reactor Systems-An Indian Perspective’.


“There are plans to set up engineering laboratories for carrying out research and development related to reactor components, coolant technologies, reactor safety, fuel and material development and other aspects related to such high temperature reactors,” he added.
Scientists feel that nuclear energy assisted hydrogen production is expected to play a significant role and the development of technologies related to high temperature nuclear reactors is an important step in this direction.


Interestingly, this technology will boost India’s dreams of being a hydrogen economy and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. It will also solve some of the negative effects of using hydrocarbon fuels.

According to a study, global demand for hydrogen is to expand 3.5 per cent per annum through 2013 to 478 billion cubic meters.


In value terms, this represents $29.3 billion in captive consumption and $20.8 billion in merchant gas. Growth in hydrogen demand will benefit from strong activity in the petroleum sector, where increasing demand for low sulphur fuels in response to stricter environmental regulations will increase the amount of hydrogen required to produce them.


?India working on Hydrogen reactor? | | | Indian Express

 

[kingofkings]

kool .... It's always good to go for the alternate sources and slowly reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Way to go.

 

[Veeru]

A step in right direction in future we will benefit from this move that we are taking now.

 

[JamesBond]

How much does this process pollute the enviornment in the process of hydrogen production.

 

[saurabh]

Stupid move, better to work on electric vehicles than fuel cell based cars.

 

[luckyyy]

India imports around 150 million tonnes of crude oil, more than 3/4th of the domestic demand, at a cost of $120 billions every year..

 

[JamesBond]

Stupid move, better to work on electric vehicles than fuel cell based cars.

And how do you produce that electricity? Coal?

What's the point in shifting the pollution from the car to the power plant? The pollution exists nevertheless.

We need to look at cleaner fuels ultimately.

 

[kingofkings]

Stupid move, better to work on electric vehicles than fuel cell based cars.

Advantages of hydrogen energy

- We can get hydrogen from water by splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen, so supplies are almost limitless.

- As hydrogen is a diatomic molecule, the product of combustion is only water. Therefore, it does not produce the harmful gasses that gasoline and diesel cars produce, such as carbon dioxide.

- Hydrogen itself is not poisonous. Therefore, in case of outflow, hydrogen is safer than any other gas.

You have to still depend much on fossil fuels to get electricity and electricity produced by natural sources like windmills etc is not enough if we are planing for present and future needs.

 

[dingyibvs]

And how do you produce that electricity? Coal?

What's the point in shifting the pollution from the car to the power plant? The pollution exists nevertheless.

We need to look at cleaner fuels ultimately.

And where are you gonna get the energy to split hydrogen? Electricity.

 

[Spring Onion]

Just an off topic question . is there any project of Hydrogen bomb India is pursuing ? or mulling to do so in future ?

 

[saurabh]

And how do you produce that electricity? Coal?

What's the point in shifting the pollution from the car to the power plant? The pollution exists nevertheless.

We need to look at cleaner fuels ultimately.

The hydrogen is supposed to be produced by a reactor, the same reactor can be used to produce electricity.

Advantages of hydrogen energy

- We can get hydrogen from water by splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen, so supplies are almost limitless.

For producing hydrogen, you need other energy sources. Nuke in this case. The same sources can be used to generate electricity. Its supply can be limitless, actually, more than hydrogen.

- As hydrogen is a diatomic molecule, the product of combustion is only water. Therefore, it does not produce the harmful gasses that gasoline and diesel cars produce, such as carbon dioxide.

There is nothing less polluting than electricity.

- Hydrogen itself is not poisonous. Therefore, in case of outflow, hydrogen is safer than any other gas.

Hydrogen is extremely dangerous. Infact, handling petroleum gas and gasoline (petrol) is easier compared to handling hydrogen.

You have to still depend much on fossil fuels to get electricity and electricity produced by natural sources like windmills etc is not enough if we are planing for present and future needs.

As I said before, whatever method is used to generate hydrogen, same can be used to generate electricity. And electricity would have wider usage than hydrogen.

Besides, handling and using hydrogen is very costly. Fuel cells are costlier compared to batteries. Electricity could be handled much easily. In future, better capacitors/batteries would enable storage of large amount of energy as charge, than that could possibly be stored as hydrogen in same space.

Even now, if electric vehicles get popular, not much infrastructure would be needed to sustain them (they could be charged anywhere, even at home). But if hydrogen is used, you would need pumping stations all over country. Large scale infra development.

 

[saurabh]

Just an off topic question . is there any project of Hydrogen bomb India is pursuing ? or mulling to do so in future ?

Already tested. Its yield could be a matter of debate though. But not the technique.

 

[JamesBond]

And where are you gonna get the energy to split hydrogen? Electricity.

In this order starting backwards.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars/Electric cars----->Electricity from power plant------>Power plant running on alternative sources of energy/Nuclear energy (Thorium which is aplenty in India or may be after a few decades if and when Fusion reactors become possible)

Clean energy everywhere!

 

[militaryforpeace]

According to wikipedia :
' If hydrogen is produced by electrolysis from fossil-fuel powered generators, increased carbon dioxide is emitted in comparison with direct use of the fossil fuel'

'Whatever the mix proportion between air and hydrogen, a hydrogen leak will most likely lead to an explosion, not a mere flame, when a flame or spark ignites the mixture'

Search the 'Hydrogen economy' article in wikipedia

 

[KS]

Just an off topic question . is there any project of Hydrogen bomb India is pursuing ? or mulling to do so in future ?

Hydrogen bomb is nothing but the Thermo-nuclear fusion device India tested in Pokhran on May 1998.