Verification and development of a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer experimental setup

Abstract

This thesis presents the verification and improvements of an in-house developed Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer (PEMWE) test setup. The original system was designed to investigate efficiency losses caused by power quality variations and to support degradation analysis. However, its performance was limited by several factors, including the presence of moisture in both the anode and cathode gas streams, issues related to control algorithms, sensor calibration, and sensor placement. The primary objective of this research was to address these limitations through a comprehensive system upgrade, enabling more reliable and accurate degradation studies.

To address the complexity of failure modes often resulting from interacting faults, a structured diagnostic and failure analysis approach was implemented. The upgraded system now supports long-term degradation experiments with improved automation and robustness. The system delivers ultra dry gas, features a highly flexible and precise power supply, and incorporates safety mechanisms for effective fault handling. Experimental results confirm that the PEMWE cells operate reliably under the updated configuration, establishing a strong foundation for future degradation research.