Comparative techno-economic and environmental assessment of HTGR-integrated hydrogen production via helium-heated and electrified steam methane reforming

초록

Two HTGR-integrated hydrogen-production pathways based on steam methane reforming—helium-heated SMR (h-SMR) and electrified SMR (e-SMR)—are proposed. The former directly supplies HTGR heat to the reformer through helium, whereas the latter converts HTGR heat into electricity. Aspen Plus evaluates these systems against conventional and electrolysis-based benchmarks. Elimination of the fired furnace reduces natural gas consumption by 18.8% for h-SMR and 23.3% for e-SMR relative to gray hydrogen. Levelized cost of hydrogen is estimated at $2.37/kgforh-SMRand$2.99/kg for e-SMR, indicating cost competitiveness relative to the benchmarked pink and green hydrogen pathways under the assumed conditions. Furthermore, life-cycle assessments reveal net global warming potentials of 3.5 and 3.18 kgCO2/kgH2 for h-SMR and e-SMR, a reduction of >70% relative to gray hydrogen. Sensitivity analysis confirms the economic robustness of the h-SMR pathway across market scenarios. HTGR-integrated SMR processes offer a practical and cost-effective transition pathway for large-scale hydrogen production.

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