Modeling and Analysis of Mass Transport Losses of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) coupled with renewable energy resources are considered to be a key technology for producing green hydrogen. However, the high current density PEMWE operation features remarkable voltage losses. A significant part of these losses is due to the mas...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Processes 2022-11, Vol.10 (11), p.2417
Hauptverfasser: Miličić, Tamara, Altaf, Haashir, Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole, Živković, Luka A., Tsotsas, Evangelos, Vidaković-Koch, Tanja
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) coupled with renewable energy resources are considered to be a key technology for producing green hydrogen. However, the high current density PEMWE operation features remarkable voltage losses. A significant part of these losses is due to the mass transport resistance in the PEMWE. Even though the importance of mass transport resistance is widely recognized, it is still poorly understood. Currently, the two-phase transport through the anode porous transport layer (PTL) and catalyst layer is considered to be the main cause of the mass transport losses. In this work, a dynamic macroscopic mathematical model, coupling electrochemical reaction with mass transport through the PTL and flow channels, has been developed to study the two-phase flow in the PTL and mass transport losses of a PEMWE. The influence of the current density, inlet water flow rate, PTL structural parameters, and capillary pressure curve was evaluated. The existence of the critical current density was observed, as well as its dependence on the operating parameters and PTL structure. Even though the results show that the PTL structure has a significant influence on the PEMWE performance, they indicate that a better mathematical description of the two-phase flow in the PTL is necessary.
ISSN:2227-9717
2227-9717
DOI:10.3390/pr10112417