Techno-economic analysis of a novel concept for the combination of methane pyrolysis in molten salt with heliostat solar field

Amir Reza Razmi, Amir Reza Hanifi and Mahdi Shahbakhti

Energy, 2024, vol. 301, issue C

Abstract: Methane pyrolysis has emerged as a promising low-carbon hydrogen production method, serving as a bridge from conventional fossil fuels to renewable energies (REs). A recent technique for sustainable hydrogen production involves the process of methane pyrolysis in molten salt. To better understand the potential of sustainable turquoise hydrogen production, this paper presents a techno-economic assessment of methane pyrolysis in molten salt combined with a high-temperature heliostat solar field. In addition, a high-temperature thermal energy storage (HTES) unit is utilized to ensure uninterrupted hydrogen production during periods of solar unavailability, thereby contributing to the economic viability of the overall system. The proposed system can produce about 9 tons of H2/day and 27 tons of solid carbon/day with a round-trip efficiency of 49.8 % and a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of 1.93 $/kg. To further decarbonize the process, the feasibility of utilizing REs as the source of electricity for the HTES was analyzed, yielding a synergistic achievement of clean and economic hydrogen production. This configuration resulted in a LCOH of 1.25 $/kg, after including the United States (US) clean hydrogen production tax incentives. The proposed system shows the potential to achieve the US Department of Energy target of 1 $/kg of hydrogen with a 20 % reduction in the cost of RE infrastructure.

Keywords: Methane pyrolysis; Molten salt; Heliostat solar; Turquoise hydrogen; Techno-economic analysis; High-temperature thermal energy storage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:301:y:2024:i:c:s0360544224014178

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.131644

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