Heat transfer problems for the production of hydrogen from geothermal energy

J. Sigurvinsson (1) , C. Mansilla Pellen (2, 1) , B. Arnasson (3) , André Bontemps (4) , Alain Maréchal (5) , T. Sigfusson (3) , F. Werkoff (1)

1 SERMA - Service d’Études des Réacteurs et de Mathématiques Appliquées
2 LGI - Laboratoire Génie Industriel - EA 2606
3 University of Iceland [Reykjavik]
4 LEGI - Laboratoire des Écoulements Géophysiques et Industriels [Grenoble]
5 UJF - Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1

Electrolysis at low temperature is currently used to produce Hydrogen. From a thermodynamic point of view, it is possible to improve the performance of electrolysis while functioning at high temperature (high temperature electrolysis: HTE). That makes it possible to reduce energy consumption but requires a part of the energy necessary for the dissociation of water to be in the form of thermal energy. A collaboration between France and Iceland aims at studying and then validating the possibilities of producing hydrogen with HTE coupled with a geothermal source. The influence of the exit temperature on the cost of energy consumption of the drilling well is detailed. To vaporize the water to the electrolyser, it should be possible to use the same technology currently used in the Icelandic geothermal context for producing electricity by using a steam turbine cycle. For heating the steam up to the temperature needed at the entrance of the electrolyser three kinds of heat exchangers could be used, according to specific temperature intervals.

Mots clés: Geothermal energy; High temperature electrolysis; Heat transfer Iceland; Hydrogen; Iceland; Heat transfer

Domaines: Thermique [physics.class-ph]

J. Sigurvinsson, C. Mansilla Pellen, B. Arnasson, André Bontemps, Alain Maréchal, et al.. Heat transfer problems for the production of hydrogen from geothermal energy. Energy Conversion and Management, 2007, 47 (20), pp.3543-3551. ⟨10.1016/j.enconman.2006.03.012⟩. ⟨hal-00189138⟩