Renowned nuclear physicist and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Anil Kakodkar, has pitched for the use of high-temperature nuclear reactors to inexpensively produce green hydrogen.
In an interview to the Business Line newspaper, Dr Kakodkar said it was cheaper to produce hydrogen by first heating water before splitting it--for it takes less energy to split water when heated. Of course, it calls for energy to heat the water, but high temperature nuclear reactors can provide that heat at a low cost.
"While Kakodkar today has no official position with the government, he is an influential and respected person; people take him seriously," says V Jagannathan, a veteran journalist, who has been covering the nuclear sector for many years.
It may be recalled that about 15 years ago, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) had proposed an 'Indian High Temperature Reactor - Hydrogen' program. The proposed reactor design of the following features: 600 MWth Optimised for hydrogen production; Hydrogen: 80,000 Nm3 /hr; Electricity: 18 MWth; Drinking water: 375 m3/hr.
It is not clear as to what the fate of the program was, but evidently it was not pursued to fruition.
Kakodkar's call might just revive the program, given the current emphasis on hydrogen, which was absent back then.
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