A comprehensive survey of alkaline electrolyzer modeling: electrical domain and specific electrolyte conductivity

Frank Gambou (1) , Damien Guilbert (1) , Michel Zasadzinski (2) , Hugues Rafaralahy (2)

1 GREEN - Groupe de Recherche en Energie Electrique de Nancy
2 CRAN - Centre de Recherche en Automatique de Nancy

Alkaline electrolyzers are the most widespread technology due to their maturity, low cost, and large capacity in generating hydrogen. However, compared to proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, they request the use of potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) since the electrolyte relies on a liquid solution. For this reason, the performances of alkaline electrolyzers are governed by the electrolyte concentration and operating temperature. Due to the growing development of the water electrolysis process based on alkaline electrolyzers to generate green hydrogen from renewable energy sources, the main purpose of this paper is to carry out a comprehensive survey on alkaline electrolyzers, and more specifically about their electrical domain and specific electrolytic conductivity. Besides, this survey will allow emphasizing the remaining key issues from the modeling point of view.

Mots clés: Alkaline electrolyzer; hydrogen generation; modeling; dynamic operation; electrolyte conductivity

Domaines: Energie électrique

Frank Gambou, Damien Guilbert, Michel Zasadzinski, Hugues Rafaralahy. A comprehensive survey of alkaline electrolyzer modeling: electrical domain and specific electrolyte conductivity. Energies, 2022, 15 (9), pp.3452. ⟨10.3390/en15093452⟩. ⟨hal-03663132⟩