Numerical Investigation of PEM Water Electrolysis Performance for Different Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts

Abstract

One of the hydrogen production methods, namely the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE), shows good potential and agreement with renewable energy sources in the storage and conversion of energy. In this study, the effects of different anode catalyst materials on the performance of PEMWE are investigated. In line with this aim the temperature, membrane thickness, current collector length and molar fraction distribution of species in gas channels are investigated to observe and compare the effects of different anode catalyst. The cell performance is simulated with a two dimensional numerical model based on Comsol Multiphysics Software. The performance of the cell and hydrogen production are increased with the change of temperature from 303 K to 353 K. Different thickness of the membrane is investigated and the results bring out that use of thinner membrane is more important for Pt‐Ir anode catalyst than Pt anode catalyst. Additionally, Pt‐Ir anode catalyst is decreased cell voltage and provided four times higher current density. Maximum value of hydrogen molar fraction in the cathode gas channel is increased 60%.

Sun, heat and electricity. A comprehensive study of non‐pollutant alternatives to produce green hydrogen

“…One of the newest works is published by Kaya et al in 2017 270 . Authors develop a numerical model validated with experimental results where the effects on the cell performance are analysed of two types of catalysts for the anode (Pt and Pt‐Ir).…”

Design of 3D microbial anodes for microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) fuelled by domestic wastewater. Part I: Multiphysics modelling

“…Three different modules are used: the laminar flow module, the secondary potential and current distribution module and the diluted concentration module. This software is widely adopted to model electrochemical systems at macroscopic scale such as polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyser [28,29], solid oxide fuel cells [30,31] or batteries [32][33][34]. The approach considered in the present study has already been implemented for modelling MEC [35][36][37][38].…”

A highly active and stable 3D dandelion spore-structured self-supporting Ir-based electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis fabricated using structural reconstruction

“…Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) offers many advantages such as a compact system, higher current density, lower gas crossover, higher gas purity, and high-pressure operation compared to conventional alkaline electrolysis using 20-30% alkaline solutions (NaOH, KOH). 6,7 However, PEMWE creates a strongly oxidizing environment, demanding component stability and scarce and valuable novel materials as catalysts.…”