• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.214-220
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• 2019

Thermochemical cycles have been predominantly used for energy transformation from heat to stored chemical free energy in the form of hydrogen. The thermochemical cycle based on uranium (UTC), proposed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been considered as a better alternative compared to other thermochemical cycles mainly due to its safety and high efficiency. UTC process includes three steps, in which only the first step is unique. Hydrogen production apparatus with hectogram reactants was designed in this study. The results showed that high yield hydrogen was obtained, which was determined by drainage method. The results also indicated that the chemical conversion rate of hydrogen production was in direct proportion to the mass of $Na_2CO_3$, while the solid product was $Na_2UO_4$, instead of $Na_2U_2O_7$. Nevertheless the thermochemical cycle used for hydrogen generation can be closed, and chemical compounds used in these processes can also be recycled. So the cycle with $Na_2UO_4$ as its first reaction product has an advantage over the proposed UTC process, attributed to the fast reaction rate and high hydrogen yield in the first reaction step.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.25-33
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• 2003

It summarized about the application of the membrane technology in thermochemical water-splitting iodine-sulfur process that was hydrogen production using the nuclear heat from the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR). Thermochemical water-splitting hydrogen production method using the high temperater nuclear thermal energy could be realized and remained to be solved the investigation subject. And, it is possible for mass-production of hydrogen such as one of the clean energy in future.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.27-37
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• 2017

In this study, an artificial solar simulator composed of a 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector was used to carry out the solar thermal two step thermochemical water decomposition cycle which can produce high efficiency continuous hydrogen production. Through various operating conditions, the change of hydrogen production due to the possibility of a dual-zone reactor and heat recovery were experimentally analyzed. Based on the reaction temperature of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step at $1,400^{\circ}C$ and $1,000^{\circ}C$ respectively, the hydrogen production decreased by 23.2% under the power off condition, and as a result of experiments using heat recovery technology, the hydrogen production increased by 33.8%. Therefore, when a thermochemical two-step water decomposition cycle is conducted using a dual-zone reactor with heat recovery, it is expected that the cycle can be operated twice over a certain period of time and the hydrogen production amount is increased by at least 53.5% compared to a single reactor.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.119-123
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• 2005

The thermochemical splitting of water has been proposed as a clean method for hydrogen production. The IS process is one of the thermochemical water splitting processes using iodine and sulfur as reaction agents. HI decomposition procedure to obtain hydrogen is one of the key operations in the process, because equilibrium conversion of HI is low (22% at $450^{\circ}C$). The silica membranes prepared by CVD. method were applied to the decomposition reaction of HI vapor. The permeation characteristics of hydrogen and nitrogen belong to the Knudsen flow pattern.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.42-50
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• 2013

Solar thermal reactor was studied for hydrogen production with a two step thermochemical cycle including T-R(Thermal Reduction) step and W-D(Water Decomposition) step. NiFe2O4 and Fe3O4 supported by monoclinic ZrO2 were used as a catalyst device and Ni powder was used for decreasing the T-R step reaction temperature. Maintaining a temperature level of about $1100^{\circ}C$ and $1400^{\circ}C$, for 2-step thermochemical reaction, is important for obtaining maximum performance of hydrogen production. The controller was designed for adjusting high temperature solar thermal energy heating the foam-device coated with nickel- ferrite powder. A Pill temperature control system was designed based on 2-step thermochemical reaction experiment data(measured concentrated solar radiation and the temperature of foam device during experiment). The cycle repeated 5 times, ferrite conversion rate are 4.49~29.97% and hydrogen production rate is 0.19~1.54mmol/g-ferrite. A temperature controller was designed for increasing the number of reaction cycles related with the amount of produced hydrogen.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.4287-4294
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• 2023

In order to meet the energy demand, energy production must be done continuously. Hydrogen seems to be the best alternative for this energy production, because it is both an environmentally friendly and renewable energy source. In this study, the hydrogen fuel production of the peaceful nuclear explosives (PACER) fusion blanket as the energy source integrated with Fe-Cl thermochemical water splitting cycle have been investigated. Firstly, neutronic analyzes of the PACER fusion blanket were performed. Necessary neutronic studies were performed in the Monte Carlo calculation method. Molten salt fuel has been considered mole-fractions of heavy metal salt (ThF₄, UF₄ and ThF₄+UF₄) by 2, 6 and 12 mol. % with Flibe as the main constituent. Secondly, potential of the hydrogen fuel production as a result of the neutronic evaluations of the PACER fusion blanket integrated with Fe-Cl thermochemical cycle have been performed. In these calculations, tritium breeding (TBR), energy multiplication factor (M), thermal power ratio (1 - 𝜓), total thermal power (P_hpf) and mass flow rate of hydrogen (ṁ_H2) have been computed. As a results, the amount of the hydrogen production (ṁ_H2) have been obtained in the range of 232.24x10⁶ kg/year and 345.79 x10⁶ kg/year for the all mole-fractions of heavy metal salts using in the blanket.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.113-119
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• 2012

The two-step water splitting thermochemical cycle is composed of the T-R (Thermal Reduction) and W-D (Water Decomposition) steps. The mechanism of this cycle is oxidation-reduction, which produces hydrogen. The reaction temperature necessary for this thermochemical cycle can be achieved by a dish-type solar thermal collector (Inha University, Korea). The purpose of this study is to validate a water splitting device in the field. The device is studied and fabricated by Kodama et al (2010, 2011). The validation results show that the foam device, when loaded with $CeO_2$ powder, was successfully achieved hydrogen production under field conditions. Through this experiment, we can analyze the characteristics of the catalyst and able to determine which is more advantageous thing to produce hydrogen compared with previous experiment that used ferrite-device.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2024

Global sustainable energy needs and carbon neutrality goals make hydrogen a key future energy source. South Korea and Japan lead with proactive hydrogen policies, including South Korea's Hydrogen Law and Japan's strategy updates aiming for a hydrogen-centric society by 2050. A notable advance is the solar thermal chemical water-splitting cycle for green hydrogen production, spotlighted by Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Niigata University's joint initiative. This method uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a carbon-neutral hydrogen production route. The study focuses on international collaboration in solar energy for thermochemical water-splitting and E-fuel production, highlighting breakthroughs in catalyst and reactor design to enhance solar thermal technology's commercial viability for sustainable fuel production. Collaborations, like ARENA in Australia, target global carbon emission reduction and energy system sustainability, contributing to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.185-191
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• 2004

It summarized about the properties of thermochemical water-splitting iodine-sulfur process that was hydrogen production using the waste heat from the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) recycling the heat of nuclear power. It was mainly explained about the application of membrane separation technique in IS process. Thermochemical water-splitting hydrogen production method using the high temperature nuclear thermal energy could be realized and remained to be solved the investigation subject. And, it is possible for mass-production of hydrogen such as one of the clean energy in future.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.11-18
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• 2014

Two-step water splitting thermochemical cycle with $CeO_2$ foam device was investigated by using a solar simulator composed of 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector. The hydrogen production of $CeO_2$ foam device depending on reaction temperature of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step was analyzed, and the hydrogen production of $CeO_2$ and $NiFe_2O_4/ZrO_2$ foam devices was compared. As a result, the amount of reduced $CeO_2$ considerably varies according to the reaction temperature of Thermal-Reduction step. and hydrogen production was not much when the amount of reduced $CeO_2$ decreased even if the reaction temperature of Water-Decomposition step was high. Therefore, it is very important to keep the reaction temperature of Thermal-Reduction step high in two-step thermochemical cycle with $CeO_2$.