Modeling of hydrogen production with a stand-alone renewable hybrid power system

Hydrocarbon resources adequately meet today’s energy demands. Due to the environmental impacts, renewable energy sources are high in the agenda. As an energy carrier, hydrogen is considered one of the most promising fuels for its high energy density as compared to hydrocarbon fuels. Therefore, hydrogen has a significant and future use as a sustainable energy system. Conventional methods of hydrogen extraction require heat or electrical energy. The main source of hydrogen is water, but hydrogen extraction from water requires electrical energy. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources has a potential for hydrogen production systems. In this study, an electrolyzer using the electrical energy from the renewable energy system is used to describe a model, which is based on fundamental thermodynamics and empirical electrochemical relationships. In this study, hydrogen production capacity of a stand-alone renewable hybrid power system is evaluated. Results of the proposed model are calculated and compared with experimental data. The MATLAB/Simscape^® model is applied to a stand-alone photovoltaic-wind power system sited in Istanbul, Turkey.     

Development of large scale unified system for hydrogen energy carrier production and utilization: Experimental analysis and systems modeling

The world's largest class hydrogen energy carrier production, storage, and utilization system has been operated in order to obtain basic data for practical use of the system using renewable energy. In this system, an alkaline water electrolyzer is combined with hydrogenation reactors to produce methylcyclohexane (MCH). Since electrolyzer behavior directly affects hydrogenation reaction, behaviors of the 150 kW class water electrolyzer against fluctuating electricity inputs were experimentally investigated. The cell stack voltage and hydrogen flow rate changed following temporal changes of the input current, whereas the temperature response was slow due to the large heat capacity of the system. Hydrogenation reactors performance using the hydrogen from the electrolyzer are reported. Then, based on the experiment data, a numerical simulation model for the electrolyzer was developed, which predicts the experimental result using fluctuating electricity very well. Furthermore, using the simulator, the heat utilization from the hydrogenation reaction for the electrolyzer warm-up process was investigated.     

Hybrid energy system for hydrogen production in the Adrar region (Algeria): Production rate and purity level

The following work treat the prediction of the production rate and purity level of hydrogen produced by an alkaline electrolyzer fed by a renewable source in a hybrid energy system HES in the locality of Adrar in the south of Algeria. This work is made for different renewable energy penetration rate from 0% to 60% of conventional power (Genset generator). The cell electrolyzer model permits to predict the production rate of hydrogen with accuracy, according to operating parameters, climatic conditions and the load of the site of Adrar. The study permits to introduce a model of hydrogen purity level based on the operating parameters and the power supplying the alkaline electrolyzer. It also shows that the great influence of the intermittent energy supplying the electrolyzer on the production rate and purity level of hydrogen. The prediction of production rate and purity level by the models allow to obtain a distribution and storage of hydrogen produced according to predetermined selection criteria imposed by the operator.In the process of electrolysis, the oxygen is considered as by-product of the hydrogen production. The amount and purity level were estimated jointly.An HES-H₂ production program under MATLAB^®/SIMULINK^® has been developed to simulate the hourly evolution of the production rate and purity level of hydrogen and oxygen produced by an electrolyzer for different penetration rate of renewable energies in an HES.     

Levelized costs of energy and hydrogen of wind farms and concentrated photovoltaic thermal systems. A case study in Morocco

This work deals with the evaluation of levelized costs of energy and hydrogen of wind farms and concentrated photovoltaic thermal systems. The production of hydrogen is ensured by an alkaline water electrolyser supplied by the electric current generated by the renewable energy sources. The study is carried out on the basis of meteorological data from the Tangier region, in Morocco. Mathematical models are developed to assess the performance and efficiency of renewable sources in terms of energy and hydrogen production for different installed powers. The comparison between the current results and those of previous work shows that the discrepancy did not exceed 6% for both electrical and thermal efficiency of the concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system. The results show that the energy consumption ratios of the electrolyzer are 61 and 64 kWh.kg⁻¹ for wind and solar energy, respectively. Wind and solar hydrogen production efficiencies are also 66 and 62%, respectively. Results show that levelized costs of energy and hydrogen decrease with the increase in installed wind and photovoltaic capacity. The overall results also show that the Tangier region can produce energy and hydrogen at low cost using wind energy compared to concentrated photovoltaic installations. For the hybridization of the two green sources studied, this is highly recommended provided that the capacity of the electrolyzer to be installed is optimal in order to effectively improve the production of hydrogen.     

Mathematical modeling and simulation for external electrothermal characteristics of an alkaline water electrolyzer

The water electrolyzer is a key device in the direct energy interaction between the hydrogen production system and the fluctuation power supply. Therefore, to understand its external electrothermal characteristics and modeling, an efficient simulation method is not only theoretically significant but also of great value in engineering applications for the key techniques, such as the study of control strategy and optimum configuration of renewable energy generation. Currently, research studies on the electrothermal characteristics of the alkaline water electrolyzer (AWE) are focused mainly on the microcosmic mechanism, without sufficient emphasis on the modeling and simulation technique of the external macroscopic electrothermal characteristics. Based on relevant theories in electrochemistry and test results of the electrothermal characteristics, this paper establishes a mathematical model of the equivalent impedance characteristics, electrothermal characteristics, and power regulation characteristics of AWE. Then, a simulation model of the external electrothermal characteristics is built with Matlab/Simulink. Finally, the accuracy of the established mathematical model and the functionality of the simulation model are verified. The research can provide some reference for the modeling and simulation of the electrical characteristics of AWE.     

Experimental investigation of solar-hydrogen energy system performance

Recently, the Solar-hydrogen energy system (SHES) becomes a reality thanks as well as a very common topic to energy research in Egypt as it is now being the key solution of different energy problems including global warming, poor air quality and dwindling reserves of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogen is a flexible storage medium for energy and can be generated by the electrolysis of water. It is more particularly advantageous and efficient when the electrolyzer is simply coupled to a source of renewable electrical energy. This paper examines the operation of alkaline water electrolysis coupled with solar photovoltaic (PV) source for hydrogen generation with emphasis on the electrolyzer efficiency. PV generator is simulated using Matlab/Simulink to obtain its characteristics under different operating conditions with solar irradiance and temperature variations. The experimental alkaline water electrolysis system is built in the fluid mechanics laboratory of Menoufiya University and tested at certain input voltages and currents which are fed from the PV generator. The effects of voltage, solution concentration of electrolyte and the space between the pair of electrodes on the amount of hydrogen produced by water electrolysis as well as the electrolyzer efficiency are experimentally investigated. The water electrolysis of different potassium hydroxide aqueous solutions is conducted under atmospheric pressure using stainless steel electrodes. The experimental results showed that the performance of water electrolysis unit is highly affected by the voltage input and the gap between the electrodes. Higher rates of produced hydrogen can be obtained at smaller space between the electrodes and also at higher voltage input. The maximum electrolyzer efficiency is obtained at the smallest gap between electrodes, however, for a specified input voltage value within the range considered.     

Electrolytic hydrogen based renewable energy system with oxygen recovery and re-utilization

The Hydrogen Research Institute (HRI) has developed a stand-alone renewable energy (RE) system based on energy storage in the form of hydrogen. When the input devices (wind generator and photovoltaic array) produce more energy than is required by the load, the excess energy is converted by an electrolyzer to electrolytic hydrogen, which is then stored after stages of compression, purification and filtration. Conversely, during a time of input energy deficit, this process is reversed and the hydrogen produced earlier is reconverted to electrical energy through a fuel cell. The oxygen which has been produced by the electrolyzer during the hydrogen production is also stored at high pressure, after having gone through a purification and drying process. This stored oxygen can be re-utilized as oxidant in place of compressed air in the fuel cell. The modifications of the electrolyzer for oxygen storage and re-utilization of it as oxidant for the fuel cell are presented. Furthermore, the HRI has designed and developed the control system with power conditioning devices for effective energy management and automatic operation of the RE system. The experimental results show that a reliable autonomous RE system can be realized for such seasonal energy sources, using stored hydrogen as the long-term energy buffer, and that utilizing the electrolyzer oxygen by-product as oxidant in the fuel cell increases system performance significantly.     

Methylcyclohexane production under fluctuating hydrogen flow rate conditions

Energy storage using liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) is a long-term method to store renewable energy with high hydrogen energy density. This study investigated a simple and low-cost system to produce methylcyclohexane (MCH) from toluene and hydrogen using fluctuating electric power, and developed its control method. In the current system, hydrogen generated by an alkaline water electrolyzer was directly supplied to hydrogenation reactors, where hydrogen purification equipment such as PSA and TSA is not installed to decrease costs. Hydrogen buffer tanks and compressors are not equipped. In order to enable MCH production using fluctuating electricity, a feed-forward toluene supply control method was developed and introduced to the system. The electrolyzer was operated under triangular waves and power generation patterns of photovoltaic cells and produced hydrogen with fluctuating flow rates up to 7.5 Nm³/h. Consequently, relatively high purity of MCH (more than 90% of MCH mole fraction) was successfully produced. Therefore, the simplified system has enough potential to produce MCH using fluctuating renewable electricity.     

Solar and wind energy in Poland as power sources for electrolysis process - A review of studies and experimental methodology

The production of hydrogen is still a major challenge, due to the high costs and often also environmental burdens it generates. It is possible to produce hydrogen in emission-free way: e.g. using a process of electrolysis powered by renewable energy. The paper presents the concept of a research, experimental stand for the storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen chemical energy with the measurement methodology. The research involves the use of proton exchange membrane electrolysis technology, which is characterized by high efficiency and flexibility of energy extraction for the process of electrolysis from renewable sources. The system consist of PV panel, PEM electrolyzer, battery, programmable logic controller system and optional a wind turbine. Preliminary experimental tests results have shown that the electrolyzer can produce in average 158.1 cc/min of hydrogen with the average efficiency 69.87%.     

Monitoring and control of a hydrogen production and storage system consisting of water electrolysis and metal hydrides

Renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar photovoltaic are energy sources that cannot generate continuous electric power. The seasonal storage of solar or wind energy in the form of hydrogen can provide the basis for a completely renewable energy system. In this way, water electrolysis is a convenient method for converting electrical energy into a chemical form. The power required for hydrogen generation can be supplied through a photovoltaic array. Hydrogen can be stored as metal hydrides and can be converted back into electricity using a fuel cell. The elements of these systems, i.e. the photovoltaic array, electrolyzer, fuel cell and hydrogen storage system in the form of metal hydrides, need a control and monitoring system for optimal operation. This work has been performed within a Research and Development contract on Hydrogen Production granted by Solar Iniciativas Tecnológicas, S.L. (SITEC), to the Politechnic University of Valencia and to the AIJU, and deals with the development of a system to control and monitor the operation parameters of an electrolyzer and a metal hydride storage system that allow to get a continuous production of hydrogen.     

基于新能源发电的电解水制氢直流电源研究

利用新能源发电进行电解水制氢是实现新能源就地消纳和氢能利用的重要途径,以匹配电解水制氢工作特性的制氢电源为研究对象,通过分析质子交换膜电解槽电解电流、温度与电解槽端口电压、能量效率、制氢速度之间的关系,得出制氢电源需具备输出低电流纹波、输出大电流、宽范围电压输出的特性。为满足新能源电解制氢系统需求,提出一种基于Y型三相交错并联LLC拓扑结构的制氢电源方案,该方案谐振腔三相交错并联输出,满足电解槽大电流低纹波工作特性,并采用脉冲频率控制实现谐振软开关,提高变换效率。最后,搭建仿真模型和6 kW模块化实验样机,验证所提出方案的合理性与可行性。     

Analysis of the influence of the current-voltage characteristics of the voltage rectifiers on the static characteristics of hydrogen electrolyzer load

Traditionally, the determination of static load characteristics is one of the main stages in the preparation of a design model of an electric power system. It is especially important to correctly take into account energy-intensive industries, which make a huge contribution to the formation of these characteristics. In particular, the increased interest in hydrogen technologies observed in the world as one of the most promising high-tech areas of energy development, and an increase in the share of the installed capacity of generation units based on renewable energy sources determine the prospects for the development of hydrogen production by water electrolysis. Accordingly, a significant increase in the scale of application of hydrogen technologies, in particular, in accordance with the “Hydrogen Strategy for Climatically Neutral Europe”, the European Commission for the production of “green” hydrogen, determines the task of forming correct mathematical models of these devices in terms planning of modes, analyzing their impact on the parameters of electric power systems. Determination of static load characteristics on the basis of a physical experiment will not allow obtaining a characteristic with a significant increase or decrease in voltage in the node of the electric power system, which occur only in emergency modes of operation of the power system. Therefore, it seems relevant to analyze and determine the electrical characteristics of consumers by mathematical modeling of the power circuit. This article presents the results of correcting the static load characteristic of a high-power electrolyzer used in the production of hydrogen. The analysis of these results obtained with the MATLAB software is carried out using least squares regression to procure polynomial functions of the static load characteristics. According to this analysis, the static characteristics of the considered electrolyzer, being close to linear within the control range, outside the control range acquire parabolic dependences of active and reactive power on voltage. The static load characteristics of the installation are determined by the parameters of the power circuit and the current-voltage characteristic of the rectifiers displacing the vertices of the parabolas from the origin, which should be taken into account to increase the reliability of the design scheme.     

Wind-powered 250 kW electrolyzer for dynamic hydrogen production: A pilot study

Alkaline water electrolysis is the most promising approach for the industrial production of green hydrogen. This study investigates the dynamic operational characteristics of an industrial-scale alkaline electrolyzer with a rated hydrogen production of 50 m³/h. Strategies for system control and equipment improvement in dynamic-mode alkaline electrolytic hydrogen production are discussed. The electrolyzer can operate over a 30%–100% rated power load, thereby facilitating high-purity (>99.5%) H₂ production, competitive DC energy efficiency (4.01–4.51 kW h/Nm³ H₂, i.e., 73.1%–65.0% LHV), and good gas–liquid fluid balance. A safe H₂ content of 2% in O₂ (50% LFL) can be guaranteed by adjusting the system pressure. In transient operation, the electrolyzer can realize minute-level power and pressure modulation with high accuracy. The results confirm that the proposed alkaline electrolyzer can absorb highly fluctuating energy output from renewables because of its capability to operate in a dynamic mode.     

Technical and economical design of PV system and hydrogen storage including a sodium hypochlorite plant in a small community: Case of study of Paraguay

The increasing use of renewable power sources for distributed generation (DG) has made the application of storage systems a necessity to ensure the continuous supply. This paper analyzes technically and economically an autonomous sodium hypochlorite plant using a renewable energy source and a hydrogen storage system in the Western Region of Paraguay. In this region, there is abundant underground brackish water to produce industrial and energetic hydrogen. In addition, an isolated photovoltaic (PV) system feeds with electricity an electrolyzer, used for sodium hypochlorite production, and the brackish water and freshwater pumping systems. The hydrogen and fuel cell are used as backup system in the operation of the electrolyzer. Preliminary results show that hydrogen stored during the day can increase hypochlorite production by up to 31%. The PV solar system surplus can supply the demand of an off-grid community near the plant. The results show that the plant's return on investment (ROI) is 7 years.     

Semi-empirical model and experimental validation for the performance evaluation of a 15 kW alkaline water electrolyzer

This paper presents a semi-empirical mathematical model for predicting the electrochemical behavior of an alkaline water electrolysis system, based on the polarization curve and Faraday efficiency as a function of the current density under different operating conditions, such as, temperature and pressure. Also, the gas impurities of hydrogen in oxygen have been modeled for safety reasons due to its importance when the electrolyzer is dynamically operated using renewable energy sources. The different parameters defined in the model have been calculated by MATLAB, using a non-linear regression, on the basis of experimental data obtained in a 15 kW alkaline test bench. The simulated and measured values have been compared to ensure the accuracy and validity of the proposed model. In this sense, the error has been evaluated for the voltage with an average result of 5.67 mV per cell and for the Faraday efficiency and the gas impurities of hydrogen in oxygen with a value lower than 1%. These results show an excellent correlation between experimental and modeled data, so the model is a useful design and optimization tool for alkaline electrolyzers. Also, a sensitivity analysis has been used to determine the most influential operating variables in the performance of the electrolyzer.     

Electric round-trip efficiency of hydrogen and oxygen-based energy storage

An electrolyzer and a fuel cell have been integrated in a small-scale stand-alone renewable energy system to demonstrate that hydrogen can be used for long-term stationary energy storage. The economic and environmental performance of such a system is strongly related to the ability of the electrolyzer to convert electrical energy to hydrogen and the ability of the fuel cell to convert hydrogen back to electrical energy, which together define the round-trip efficiency of the hydrogen storage system. One promising way to improve the efficiency as well as to decrease the capital costs of the fuel cell is to recuperate the oxygen from the electrolyzer and use it as the fuel cell oxidant instead of compressed air. This paper presents the modifications made to the system in order to implement oxygen recuperation. The round-trip system efficiency was found to be 18% with oxygen recuperation and 13.5% without it.     

Technico-economic analysis of off grid solar PV/Fuel cell energy system for residential community in desert region

A technico-economic analysis based on integrated modeling, simulation, and optimization approach is used in this study to design an off grid hybrid solar PV/Fuel Cell power system. The main objective is to optimize the design and develop dispatch control strategies of the standalone hybrid renewable power system to meet the desired electric load of a residential community located in a desert region. The effects of temperature and dust accumulation on the solar PV panels on the design and performance of the hybrid power system in a desert region is investigated. The goal of the proposed off-grid hybrid renewable energy system is to increase the penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and lower the cost of energy from the power systems. Simulation, modeling, optimization and dispatch control strategies were used in this study to determine the performance and the cost of the proposed hybrid renewable power system. The simulation results show that the distributed power generation using solar PV and Fuel Cell energy systems integrated with an electrolyzer for hydrogen production and using cycle charging dispatch control strategy (the fuel cell will operate to meet the AC primary load and the surplus of electrical power is used to run the electrolyzer) offers the best performance. The hybrid power system was designed to meet the energy demand of 4500 kWh/day of the residential community (150 houses). The total power production from the distributed hybrid energy system was 52% from the solar PV, and 48% from the fuel cell. From the total electricity generated from the photovoltaic hydrogen fuel cell hybrid system, 80.70% is used to meet all the AC load of the residential community with negligible unmet AC primary load (0.08%), 14.08% is the input DC power for the electrolyzer for hydrogen production, 3.30% are the losses in the DC/AC inverter, and 1.84% is the excess power (dumped energy). The proposed off-grid hybrid renewable power system has 40.2% renewable fraction, is economically viable with a levelized cost of energy of 145 $/MWh and is environmentally friendly (zero carbon dioxide emissions during the electricity generation from the solar PV and Fuel Cell hybrid power system).     

Predicting efficiency of solar powered hydrogen generation using photovoltaic-electrolysis devices

Hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles can be produced by using solar electric energy from photovoltaic (PV) modules for the electrolysis of water without emitting carbon dioxide or requiring fossil fuels. In the past, this renewable means of hydrogen production has suffered from low efficiency (2–6%), which increased the area of the PV array required and therefore, the cost of generating hydrogen. A comprehensive mathematical model was developed that can predict the efficiency of a PV-electrolyzer combination based on operating parameters including voltage, current, temperature, and gas output pressure. This model has been used to design optimized PV-electrolyzer systems with maximum solar energy to hydrogen efficiency. In this research, the electrical efficiency of the PV-electrolysis system was increased by matching the maximum power output and voltage of the photovoltaics to the operating voltage of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, and optimizing the effects of electrolyzer operating current, and temperature. The operating temperature of the PV modules was also an important factor studied in this research to increase efficiency. The optimized PV-electrolysis system increased the hydrogen generation efficiency to 12.4% for a solar powered PV-PEM electrolyzer that could supply enough hydrogen to operate a fuel cell vehicle.     

PEM electrolysis for production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources

PEM electrolysis is a viable alternative for generation of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Several possible applications are discussed, including grid independent and grid assisted hydrogen generation, use of an electrolyzer for peak shaving, and integrated systems both grid connected and grid independent where electrolytically generated hydrogen is stored and then via fuel cell converted back to electricity when needed. Specific issues regarding the use of PEM electrolyzer in the renewable energy systems are addressed, such as sizing of electrolyzer, intermittent operation, output pressure, oxygen generation, water consumption and efficiency.     

Development of hybrid photovoltaic-fuel cell system for stand-alone application

In this paper we present firstly the different hybrid systems with fuel cell. Then, the study is given with a hybrid fuel cell–photovoltaic generator. The role of this system is the production of electricity without interruption in remote areas. It consists generally of a photovoltaic generator (PV), an alkaline water electrolyzer, a storage gas tank, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and power conditioning units (PCU) to manage the system operation of the hybrid system. Different topologies are competing for an optimal design of the hybrid photovoltaic–electrolyzer–fuel cell system. The studied system is proposed. PV subsystem work as a primary source, converting solar irradiation into electricity that is given to a DC bus. The second working subsystem is the electrolyzer which produces hydrogen and oxygen from water as a result of an electrochemical process. When there is an excess of solar generation available, the electrolyzer is turned on to begin producing hydrogen which is sent to a storage tank. The produced hydrogen is used by the third working subsystem (the fuel cell stack) which produces electrical energy to supply the DC bus. The modelisation of the global system is given and the obtained results are presented and discussed.