NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION AND EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION OF PROTON ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANED (PEM) ELECTROLYSER

Abstract

   In this study, the physical and the electrochemical phenomena occurred within the proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis cell and the effects of some operating parameters such as cell voltage, current density on the cell performance were investigated numerically and experimentally. The equations which characterize flow, mass transfer, conservation of charge and electrochemical reactions were solved by using COMSOL Multiphysics commercial software. In the experimental setup, the Membrane Electrode Group (MEG) which has 50 cm² active area, porous titanium at anode and carbon paper as gas diffusion layer at cathode are used. The numerical results compared with measured experimental data. It is sound that while the model satisfactorily agrees with experimental data at low current densities, it deviates at high current densities mainly because of isothermal assumption employed. The numerical results have shown that the oxygen and hydrogen concentrations increase along the channel. Also the hydrogen production starts at 1.48 V and it increase as the current density increase. However, the voltage efficiencies of PEM electrolyser for numerical and experimental study were found as 0.809 and 0.871, respectively.

Keywords

• PEM,electrolyser,hydrogen production,mathematical modelling,COMSOL

PROTON ELEKTROLİT MEMBRANLI (PEM) ELEKTROLİZÖRÜN SAYISAL İNCELENMESİ VE DENEYSEL DOĞRULANMASI

Öz

   Bu çalışmada Proton Elektrolit Membranlı (PEM) elektrolizör hücresinde meydana gelen fiziksel ve elektrokimyasal olaylar ve hücre voltajı, akım yoğunluğu gibi çalışma parametrelerinin hücre performansına etkileri sayısal ve deneysel olarak incelenmiştir. Elektroliz hücresinde akış, kütle transferi, şarj korunumu ve elektrokimyasal olayları karakterize eden denklemler COMSOL Multiphysics ticari yazılımı ile çözülmüştür. Deney düzeneğinde 50 cm² aktif alana sahip membran elektrot grubu (MEG) kullanılırken, anotta gözenekli titanyum, katotta gaz difüzyon tabakası olarak karbon kâğıt kullanılmıştır. Ölçülen deneysel sonuçlar hesaplanan sayısal sonuçlarla karşılaştırılmış, özellikle yüksek akım yoğunluklarında sayısal modelin hücre davranışını tahmininde öngörülen hata ile doğru sonuç verdiği görülmüştür. Bu durumun modelde yapılan eş sıcaklık kabulünden kaynaklandığı değerlendirilmiştir. Sayısal sonuçlar kanal boyunca oksijen ve hidrojen konsantrasyonlarının arttığını göstermiştir. Hidrojen üretimi 1,48 V’da başlarken akım yoğunluğu arttıkça hidrojen üretiminin de arttığı tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca voltaj verimi sayısal çözümde 0,809 iken deneyselde 0,871 olarak tespit edilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• PEM,elektrolizör,hidrojen üretimi,matematiksel modelleme,COMSOL

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