Engineering news
Rolls-Royce SMR, which has received government backing for the design and development of SMRs, has signed a memorandum of intent (MOI) with Danish emission-reduction firm Topsoe and Dutch nuclear developer and consultancy ULC-Energy to explore the application, it was announced today (7 November).
The partners will investigate production of hydrogen using Topsoe’s solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology and electricity and heat produced from a Rolls-Royce SMR nuclear power plant.
SMRs could be less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because of their smaller size. The modular nature of components means large parts of the plants can be produced in dedicated factories and shipped by road to site, reducing construction time and cost.
Initially aiming to “demonstrate synergies” between SMRs and SOECs in a conceptual study, the companies will also evaluate the potential operational flexibility of the combination in a future energy market based primarily on renewable power.
Dirk Rabelink, CEO of ULC-Energy, said: “Hydrogen will play an increasingly important role in balancing future energy markets. We expect nuclear energy, especially in combination with high temperature electrolysis, to be able to produce zero-emission hydrogen competitively on a stand-alone basis. Additional value associated with the operational flexibility will further enhance the business case for this solution.”
Nuclear energy combined with SOEC technology could produce hydrogen more cheaply than alternative electrolysis processes because of the high temperatures, which means less electricity is needed, the partners said. Nuclear power plants can also provide energy up to 95% of the time, which is higher than other sources.
Sundus Cordelia Ramli from Topsoe said: “With our SOEC technology, we can produce more hydrogen relative to influx of renewable power input when compared to competing electrolysis technologies. To enable net zero by 2050, we need to look into all possible technologies, and we’re confident that our electrolysis technology will be one of the key components.”
SMR power plants will also be able to switch to deliver power to the grid when needed, providing back-up to variable power sources when they are not available. “This is expected to be a competitive solution compared to alternatives, like long duration energy storage solutions or hydrogen combustion for electricity generation,” the announcement said.
Harry Keeling, Rolls-Royce SMR head of industrial markets, said: “The production of low-cost hydrogen is a critical step on the pathway to decarbonising our wider society. This agreement with ULC-Energy and Topsoe is an exciting step toward unleashing the potential of the Rolls-Royce SMR, as its ability to flexibly provide thermal and electrical energy supports a wide range of industrial applications, chief amongst these being the large-scale generation of low-cost hydrogen.”
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