Low-cost modular proton-exchange membrane electrolysers: a feasibility study

Completed

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Hydrogen production)

Basic and strategic applied research
Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor M Newborough
ITM Power PLC

3

Carbon Trust

01 April 2003

30 May 2004

14 months

£48,750

East of England

Professor M Newborough, ITM Power PLC

Project Contact, ITM Power PLC

The main technical objectives of the project are to examine the potential for establishing low-cost electrolysers and to assess prospective implementation scenarios.

Water electrolysers are potentially a key enabling technology for generating zero-carbon hydrogen from renewable, nuclear or CO2-sequestered electricity supplies. Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers are particularly attractive in having high conversion efficiencies, a sub-second response time and scale-independent performance. Their application is well proven for supplying oxygen in nuclear submarines, but present unit costs are high, and so large reductions need to be achieved if hydrogen-generation applications are to be realised on a significant scale. A novel manufacturing methodology for making low-cost PEM fuel cells is currently being applied by ITM Power Ltd, and this appears to provide a possible route for innovating designs of low-cost PEM electrolysers. The ITM approach for PEM fuel cells involves making composite membrane-electrode assembles (cMEA) and composite cell stacks (cStack) by a 'one step' process utilising radiation polymerisation. The objectives of the proposed research programme are therefore: to assess the technical status and future cost/performance trends for electrolysers and identify barriers to cost reduction (both with respect to materials and production methodologies) from the published literature, private communications and meetings with electrolyser manufacturers; to review ITM's existing PEM fuel cell technology to establish the potential for applying the 'one step methodology' to electrolysers and identifycost/ performance data specific to the cMEA and cSTACK; to consider possible implementation scenarios for PEM electrolysers, estimate the associated carbon-reduction potential of these, derive cost/ performance requirements to achieve specified objectives within given time scales, and hence identify preferred solutions; to report and disseminate the findings of the research

01/01/07