December 18, 2023
What Factors Affect the Performance of Alkaline Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Electrolyzer
An electrolyzer is the core equipment of water electrolysis hydrogen production. Alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production as the most mature hydrogen production technology has been widely applied for green hydrogen acquisition. The performance of electrolyzer can affect hydrogen production efficiency.
So what factors may affect the performance of alkaline electrolyzers? You will find the answer in this post. But before this, we need to learn what alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production is.
What Is Alkaline Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Production?
Alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production refers to the process of electrolyzing water to generate hydrogen in an alkaline electrolyte environment. The electrolyte is generally a 30% mass concentration KOH solution or a 26% mass concentration NaOH solution.
Under electrolysis, the cathode water gains electrons to generate hydrogen and hydroxide ions. The hydroxide ions pass through the separator, and the anode hydroxide loses electrons to generate oxygen. At this stage, alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production is the most economical and mature water electrolysis hydrogen production technology with the highest industrialization.
Effect of Electrode Physical Parameters on Performance of Electrolyzer
The alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production electrolyzer consists of plates, electrolytes, electrodes, catalysts, diaphragms and other parts. Among them, the electrodes act as transmission channels of gas and electrolyte, conducting heat and electricity. Catalysts are sprayed on the porous transport layer to reduce the potentials and speed up the reaction rate.
The commonly used alkaline electrolyzer electrode is nickel mesh. Lee and the other two scientists studied the influence of electrode physical parameters on performance of electrolyzer . It’s indicated that the main parameters affecting electrolyzer performance are nickel wire diameter, nickel mesh aperture, and electrode surface area. When the ratio of nickel wire diameter and nickel mesh aperture size tends to 1:1, the electrode overpotential is the lowest. The electrode with a larger surface area has a lower overpotential.
Water Electrolysis Catalysts
At present, there are many kinds of catalysts for alkaline water electrolysis in terms of scientific research, including noble metal-based catalysts (Pt, Pd, Au, Ag etc.), non-noble metal-based catalysts (Fe, Co, Ni etc.), non-metal-based catalysts (Carbon materials, etc.).
However, most of the currently used catalysts in large electrolyzers are Ni-based. Pure nickel mesh or nickel foam is used as a base to spray high-activity Ni-based catalysts (such as Raney nickel, etc.). Raney Nickel is a solid heterogeneous catalyst composed of fine grains of nickel-aluminum alloy with a porous structure. Its structure can increase the contact area between the catalyst and the electrolyte and increase the reaction rate.
Find A Pure Nickel Mesh Manufacturer for Hydrogen Production Electrolyzer
NHGT is a professional nickel wire mesh manufacturer with its own factory. We are capable of providing high-purity N4 N6 nickel meshes for alkaline electrolyzers. Woven nickel meshes with different nickel wire diameters, mesh numbers, and mesh sizes are available at NHGT for different client’s requests.
If you are looking for pure nickel meshes, just contact our team at info@nickelgreen.com or call us directly at +86 132 31116517 for urgent demand. We will reach out to you within 24 hours.
