Progress in thermochemical hydrogen production with the copper-chlorine cycle

Recent advances are reported by an international team on research and development of the copper chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle for thermochemical hydrogen production. New experimental and numerical results are given for several processes of the cycle. Experimental results for CuCl/HCl electrolysis and integration of unit operations in the Cu-Cl cycle are presented. A new solubility model for the CuCl-CuCl2-HCl-H2O quaternary system is presented, which optimizes the cupric chloride selective precipitation prior to the hydrolysis reactor. Also, recent progress on photo-electrochemical cell development for enhancement of the electrolysis process is reported along with its integration with a concentrated solar radiation system.