Nuclear hydrogen production facilities consist of a very high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (VHTR) system, intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) system, and a sulfur -iodine (SI) thermochemical process. This study focuses on the coupling system between the IHX system and SI thermochemical process. To prevent the propagation of the thermal disturbance owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process components from the IHX system to the VHTR system, a cooling system for the secondary helium of the IHX is required. In this paper, a conceptual flow diagram of the coupling system has been proposed. The temperature fluctuation of the secondary helium owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process was then calculated based on the proposed coupling system model. Finally, the conceptual design of the cooling system for the secondary helium of the IHX with a steam generator and forced-draft air-cooled heat exchanger to mitigate the thermal disturbance has been carried out. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.