Minimizing the cost of hydrogen production through dynamic polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer operation

Ginsberg, Michael; Venkatraman, Maya; Esposito, Daniel V.; Fthenakis, Vasilis

doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100935

Cited by 43 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Equipment efficiencies are also adjusted to represent some degree of degradation; electrolyser efficiency for 2022 is set to 53 kW h kg −1 , which is below the best market performance for a new electrolyser 26 but includes a 3.5% degradation rate. 27 For 2050, superior performance of 46 kW h kg −1 is assumed, which incorporates both overall improvements and a reduction in degradation rate. 28 Battery charging/discharging efficiency is set at 95% for similar reasons.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of process flexibility and imperfect forecasting on the operation and design of Haber–Bosch green ammonia

Salmon

Bañares‐Alcántara

2023

RSC Sustain.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of process flexibility and imperfect forecasting on the operation and design of Haber–Bosch green ammonia

Salmon

Bañares‐Alcántara

2023

RSC Sustain.

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“…Fourth, the potential operational flexibility to dynamically change output as electricity prices change and modularity of electrochemical systems could make it possible to design flexible and grid-interactive chemical plants. [46][47][48][49] Finally, the ability to scale down provides opportunities to realize smaller-scale chemical plants with lower financial risk and easier integration into distributed power grids to minimize electric power transmission losses and transportation needs for reactants and products.…”

Section: Electrochemical Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decarbonization of the Chemical Industry through Electrification: Barriers and Opportunities

Mallapragada

Dvorkin

Modestino

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The chemical industry is a major source of economic productivity and employment globally and among the top 3 industrial sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, along with steel and cement. As global demand for chemical products continues to grow, there is an urgency to develop and deploy sustainable chemical production pathways and re-consider continued investment in current emissionintensive production technologies. This Perspective describes the challenges and opportunities to decarbonize the chemical industry via electrification powered by the low-emission electric power sector, both in the near-term and long-term, and discusses four technological pathways ranging from the more mature direct substitution of heat with electricity and use of hydrogen to technologically less mature, yet potentially more selective approaches based on electrochemistry and plasma. Finally, we highlight the key elements of integrating an electrified industrial process with the power sector to leverage process flexibility to reduce energy costs of chemical production and provide valuable power grid support services. Unlocking such plant-to-grid coordination and the four electrification pathways has significant potential to facilitate rapid and deep decarbonization of the chemical industry sector.

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“…PEM electrolyzers, along with alkaline (AEL) and high-temperature (HTEL) water electrolysis, represent the three most commercially mature technologies, with the first two commercially available and plans for commercial scale HTEL installations in the works. , Compared to alkaline, PEM electrolyzers can operate at differential pressure and higher current densities at rated full power (≈2 A/cm 2 for PEM vs ≈0.5 A/cm 2 for alkaline in state-of-the-art systems , ). While differential pressure allows for producing high-pressure hydrogen that is valuable in many industrial and transportation applications, the ability to operate at high current densities reduces the total cell area (and hence capital cost) required to produce the same hydrogen throughput . In addition, the higher current density of PEM electrolyzers enables a larger operating window that complements integration with intermittent VRE electricity sources such as wind and solar through flexible operation. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While differential pressure allows for producing high-pressure hydrogen that is valuable in many industrial and transportation applications, the ability to operate at high current densities reduces the total cell area (and hence capital cost) required to produce the same hydrogen throughput. 6 In addition, the higher current density of PEM electrolyzers enables a larger operating window that complements integration with intermittent VRE electricity sources such as wind and solar through flexible operation. 7−9 The anode catalyst material in PEM electrolyzers is limited to the durable but extremely scarce precious metal iridium, 10 part of the platinum group metals (PGMs), 11 with catalyst loadings for state-of-art systems at 1.6−2.0 mg/cm 2 .…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Performance Targets for Achieving 2050 Expansion Goals Constrained by Iridium Supply

Riedmayer,

Paren,

Schofield

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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As demand for hydrogen electrolysis increases with the renewable energy transition, it is critical to ensure that the supply of required resources for these technologies is sufficient to match demand. Several studies have set forth projections for H2 production targets to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century, where proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers feature prominently. As compared to other commercially available electrolyzers, PEM systems exhibit high current densities that favor flexible operation to utilize intermittent renewable energy sources but rely on relatively scarce iridium (Ir) for catalysis. In this work, we model the supply of Ir resources available for PEM electrolysis and compare it to the Ir required to meet plausible H2 production targets for 2030 and 2050. In order for Ir supply to be sufficient for 2030 H2 production targets, significant improvement in average operational current density or Ir loading would be required compared to today’s averages of 2 A/cm2 and 2 mg/cm2, respectively. By 2050, current technology may be sufficient to meet the lower end of H2 production targets (83 Mt), with modest technological advances needed in case H2 demand exceeds these levels.

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Minimizing the cost of hydrogen production through dynamic polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer operation

Cited by 43 publications

References 9 publications

Impact of process flexibility and imperfect forecasting on the operation and design of Haber–Bosch green ammonia

Impact of process flexibility and imperfect forecasting on the operation and design of Haber–Bosch green ammonia

Decarbonization of the Chemical Industry through Electrification: Barriers and Opportunities

Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Performance Targets for Achieving 2050 Expansion Goals Constrained by Iridium Supply

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