Small modular reactor proposed for hydrogen and freshwater production

Researchers are investigating a tri-generation system that utilizes a small modular reactor to simultaneously produce clean electricity, hydrogen fuel, and freshwater through seawater desalination.

The proposed system uses a 200 MW thermal power reactor to generate steam. This steam drives turbines for electricity and is partially diverted to High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. This method requires less electricity than conventional electrolysis because the steam is already heated.

To maximize efficiency, the system utilizes the residual heat from the hydrogen production process to power a desalination plant. In testing, the integrated module produced approximately 90 MW of electricity, 52 tonnes of hydrogen per day, and 612 m³ of freshwater per day, significantly increasing overall energy utilization compared to electricity generation alone.