Three-dimensional CFD simulation of proton exchange membrane water electrolyser: Performance assessment under different condition. (15th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Upadhyay, Mukesh; Kim, Ayeon; Paramanantham, SalaiSargunan S.; Kim, Heehyang; Lim, Dongjun; Lee, Sunyoung; Moon, Sangbong; Lim, Hankwon
• Is Part Of: Applied energy. Volume 306:Part A(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01-15
• Subjects: Renewable energy -- Hydrogen generation -- PEM water electrolyser -- Computational fluid dynamics -- Three-dimensional model; Power (Mechanics) -- Periodicals; Energy conservation -- Periodicals; Energy conversion -- Periodicals; 621.042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-2619

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: 3D CFD analysis of PEM water electrolyser. Developed model were validated with in-house experiment data. Evaluate temperature, pressure, membrane thickness, PTL porosity and feed rate. Key characteristics were quantified, and optimum conditions were suggested. Abstract: Hydrogen produced by the electrochemical water splitting is essential for expanding and utilizing renewable power sources and establishing a sustainable energy society. As renewable energy network widely established, the produced hydrogen can be utilized by connecting the energy demand and energy supply. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyser technology is one of the ideal candidates for direct coupling with renewable energy sources. In recent years, bench-scale experiments, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation-based approaches are used to accelerate the advances in performance and cost of the technology. We studied the influence of the key performance parameter of a PEM water electrolyser, and a single channel-based three-dimensional CFD model was developed. The PEM water electrolyser CFD model is validated against in-house experiments, where the developed model successfully predicts the current–voltage polarization curve. The developed CFD model is then used to analyze the influence of temperature, cathode pressure, membrane thickness, porous transport layer porosity and water feed rate. The main observation from the numerical study was discussed to provide insight into the factors affecting the PEM water electrolyser performance.