Electrochemical hydrogen pumping from high temperature plasma-chemical reactor involving H2O/SO2 gas mixture

We demonstrate that the energy efficiency of hydrogen production by electrochemical hydrogen pumping out of a plasma-energized mixture of water vapor and sulfur dioxide (SO2) can be greatly enhanced by raising the rector temperature above 800 °C. The critical elements for this reactor design include the use of a microporous ceramic configuration for the discharge region, a bipolar electrode connecting the plasma reactor with the hydrogen pump, and a solid oxide membrane as the electrolyte of the pump. The amount of hydrogen produced per 100 joules of electrical energy consumed to operate the reactor at 850 °C is 16 mL, which is more than twice the volume produced from the same reactor, operating at 100 °C. The energy efficiency is almost 75% of that for the electrolysis of an H2O/SO2 mixture. This type of plasma-assisted hydrogen pump opens up the possibility of producing hydrogen gas from water using the thermal energy from a nuclear reactor.