An FMEA Assessment of an HTR-Based Hydrogen Production Plant

The topic of hydrogen as an energy vector is widely discussed in the present literature, being one of the crucial technologies aimed at human carbon footprint reduction. There are different hydrogen production methods. In particular, this paper focuses on Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), which requires a source of high-temperature heat (around 900 °C) to trigger the chemical reaction between steam and CH4. This paper examines a plant in which the reforming heat is supplied through a helium-cooled high-temperature nuclear reactor (HTR). After a review of the recent literature, this paper provides a description of the plant and its main components, with a central focus on the safety and reliability features of the combined nuclear and chemical system. The main aspect emphasized in this paper is the assessment of the hydrogen production reliability, carried out through Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) with the aid of simulation software able to determine the quantity and origin of plant stops based on its operational tree. The analysis covers a time span of 20 years, and the results provide a breakdown of all the failures that occurred, together with proposals aimed at improving reliability.