Experimental Testing of PEM Electrolyzer Degradation
Author
Term
3. term
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-12-16
Pages
57
Abstract
Green hydrogen plays an important role in the technological development of sustain- able energy. PEM electrolyzers are one of the most promising technologies to pro- duce green hydrogen. However, more re- search is needed to develop this technology. One of the biggest concerns about the PEM electrolyzers is its degradation over time. Therefore, this project investigates degra- dation mechanisms under laboratory con- ditions. Experimental cells were manually assembled and subjected to long term test- ing using the Greenlight Innovation test sta- tion. Unfortunately, an internal electrical short circuit was present throughout all the experiment, which negatively impacted the data obtained. It was identified and fixed at the end of the experiment The study characterized reversible and irre- versible degradation mechanisms. The elec- trolyzer reached a performance peak at 264 hours of operation, after which an efficiency decrease due to degradation was observed. The irreversible degradation was linked to chemical ionomer degradation, PTL passi- vation, catalyst dissolution, and carbon cor- rosion. The performance increase at higher temperatures and the independency of wa- ter flow rate and pressure variations was proven. Reversible losses, primarily caused by bubble accumulation, were consistently observed and recovered through shutdown. A stress test on carbon-based Porous Trans- port Layers (PTL) confirmed their incom- patibility with the Oxygen Evolution Reac- tion (OER).
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