Construction of the ILS experiment took place during the summer of 2007, with initial shakedown testing beginning on August 22 and the production of its first hydrogen on September 25. During the first few hours of operation, a number of voltage-current sweeps were performed to establish the initial performance characteristics of the module.  With the voltage at the thermal neutral point, the module produced 1.32 normal m³ of hydrogen per hour.  After the initial voltage sweeps the module was operated in a steady-state mode at approximately the thermal neutral voltage of 1.3 V per cell.  The first run of the testing lasted 400 hours, between September 25 and October 11, 2007.  For about 800 hours during the Half-Module test (summer 2006), the stacks were operated in a co-electrolysis mode, which we are calling Syntrolysis.  In the Syntrolysis mode, the stacks are supplied with steam and carbon dioxide, producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen (synthesis gas, or “syngas”), which can be used in the Fischer-Tropsch process for the production of synthetic hydrocarbon liquids, such as diesel fuel, jet fuel, and synthetic lubricating oils. The synthesis of fuels from a variety of carbon sources in forward locations has the potential for easing fuel logistics’ requirements for the military.  In addition, the production of synthetic fuels through nuclear hydrogen is a means for reducing our civilian dependence on imported oil while continuing to use the existing liquid transportation fuel infrastructure.
The use of nuclear energy to provide the heat and hydrogen needed for the production of synthetic liquid fuels is particularly attractive because of concerns about the future availability of conventional transportation fuels.
Thermal energy at approximately 850ºC from a HTGR does not directly integrate into this gasification process efficiently. However, it can be used to produce hydrogen and oxygen, both of which can be beneficially used in the gasification/FT process. These additions then allow carbon-containing streams of carbon dioxide and FT tail-gas to be recycled in the gasifier, greatly improving the overall carbon recovery and thereby producing more FT fuel for the same coal input. High temperature heat from the HTGR then replaces the heat formerly generated by burning the tail-gas. The final process configuration, scaled to make the same amount of product as the base case, requires only 5,800 ton/day of coal feed. Because it has a carbon utilization of 96.9%, the process produces almost no carbon dioxide byproduct.