Design and development of next generation Alkali Electrolyser

One of the most effective ways to obtain hydrogen of high purity is the electrolysis of water. When water molecules are given electrical energy, they decompose into oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2). The hydrogen and oxygen gas released in this way can be stored for use in stationary or industrial applications, or the hydrogen gas can be fed into a fuel cell and used for electricity generation. Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water can be classified in 3 different ways as Alkali, PEM and Solid Oxide water electrolysis according to the electrolytes used, ionic charge carriers (OH-, H+, O2-) and working conditions. One of these methods is alkaline water electrolysis, which has many advantages. Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water can be classified in 3 different ways as Alkali, PEM and Solid Oxide water electrolysis according to the electrolytes used, ionic charge carriers (OH-, H+, O2-) and working conditions. During this project, a new generation alkaline electrolyzer with a minimum hydrogen production capacity of 100 kg/day will be designed and manufactured. In comparison to current literature data (Table 1), lower power consumption is targeted for the electrolyzer, which consists of 100 bipolar cells with a power capacity of 210 kW. Additionally, other disadvantages of alkaline electrolyzers (such as maintenance, heating, corrosion, material life, and pH imbalance) are discussed in the literature. These alternative solutions will use steel- or titanium-based electrodes in the electrolyzer. Additionally, by coating the electrode surfaces with platinum group metals (Pt, Ir, Ru, etc.) and nickel alloys, the anode and cathode reaction kinetics will be enhanced and the electrolyzer will operate more efficiently. Coating processes will also improve the conductivity, corrosion resistance, and stability of electrodes. Using the electrodes and coatings that produced successful results in the experimental studies, the electrolyzer to be installed within the scope of this project will use these electrodes and coatings. Finite element methods were used to solve the flow, mass, and charge transfer equations for the alkaline electrolyzer in preliminary studies. Furthermore, electrode/electrolyte voltage distributions and the characteristic current-voltage curve were determined for the alkaline electrolyzer. In preliminary studies, finite element results indicated that Nm3 hydrogen produced in small-scale systems consumed less than 4 kWh of energy and the maximum Columbus efficiency of the electrolyzer was 84.3%.