Energies (Sep 2023)
Research on the Influence of Ripple Voltage on the Performance of a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer
Abstract
The power quality of hydrogen production converters is related to the characteristics of electrolytic hydrogen production, which is crucial to efficiency, power loss and other performance factors of hydrogen production. In order to explore the influence of the output voltage ripple of a hydrogen production converter on the hydrogen production performance of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer model was established according to the principles of material conservation and electrochemistry. The performance characteristics of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer and the effects of three kinds of ripple voltage with different frequencies and amplitudes on the hydrogen production efficiency and power consumption of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer were explored. The effects of the three kinds of ripple were consistent. For example, when the ripple coefficient of the sinusoidal ripple voltage was increased by 45%, the average power consumption increased by 61%. When the ripple coefficient was constant, the frequency increased by 1000%, and the average power consumption increased by only 0.033%. In the range of low ripple coefficient (0~35%), the hydrogen production rate was reduced by 2% at most. When the ripple coefficient was in the range of 35~70%, the hydrogen production rate was reduced by 12% at most. The results showed that the ripple coefficient had a greater impact on the power consumption and hydrogen production rate of the electrolyzer, but the frequency was smaller. Among the three kinds of ripple, the triangular wave had the least influence on the power consumption and hydrogen production rate of the electrolytic cell. This study provides reference and theoretical support for the subsequent engineering application, precise control and dynamic characteristics of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer.
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