Water electrolysis is one of the first methods used to generate hydrogen and is thus not considered to be a new technology. With advances in proton exchange membrane technology and the global tendency to implement renewable energy, the technology of water electrolysis by implementation of proton exchange membrane as solid electrolyte has developed into a major field of research over the last decade. To gain an understanding of different components of the electrolyser it is best to conduct a performance analysis based on hydrogen production rates and polarisation curves. The study aim was to compare the technologies of membrane electrode assembly with gas diffusion electrode and the proton exchange membranes of Nafion® and polybenzimidazole in a commercial water electrolyser. To determine which of the components are best suited for the process a laboratory scale electrolyser was to be used to replicate the commercially scaled performance. The effect of feed water contaminants on electrolyser performance was also investigated by introducing iron and magnesium salt solutions and aqueous methanol solutions in the feed reservoir. Components to be tested included different PEM types as well as the base component on which the electrocatalyst layer is applied. The proton exchange membranes compared were standard Nafion® N117 and polybenzimidazole meta-sulfone sulfonated polyphenyl sulfone (PBI-sPSU). A laboratory scale electrolyser from Giner Electrochemical Systems was utilised where different components were tested and compared with one another. Experimental results with commercial membrane electrode assemblies and gas diffusion electrodes demonstrated the influence of temperature on electrolyser performance for the proton exchange membranes, where energy efficiency increased with temperature. The effect of pressure was insignificant over the selected pressure range. Comparison of membrane electrode assembly and gas diffusion electrode technologies showed enhanced performance from MEA technology, this was most likely due to superior electrocatalyst contact with the PEM. Results of synthesised Nafion® N117 and PBI-sPSU MEA showed increased performance for PBI-sPSU, but it was found to be more susceptible to damage under severe conditions. The effect of metal cations in the supply reservoir exhibited reduced energy efficiencies and increased specific energy consumption for the test duration. Treatment with sulphuric acid was found to partially restore membrane electrode assembly performance, though it is believed that permanent damage was inflicted on the membrane electrode assembly electrocatalyst. Use of aqueous methanol solutions were found to increase electrolyser performance. It was also found that aqueous methanol electrolysis occurs at lower current densities, whereas a combination of aqueous methanol and water electrolysis occurred at higher current densities depending on the concentration of methanol. / Thesis (MIng (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Water electrolysis is one of the first methods used to generate hydrogen and is thus not considered to be a new technology. With advances in proton exchange membrane technology and the global tendency to implement renewable energy, the technology of water electrolysis by implementation of proton exchange membrane as solid electrolyte has developed into a major field of research over the last decade. To gain an understanding of different components of the electrolyser it is best to conduct a performance analysis based on hydrogen production rates and polarisation curves. The study aim was to compare the technologies of membrane electrode assembly with gas diffusion electrode and the proton exchange membranes of Nafion® and polybenzimidazole in a commercial water electrolyser. To determine which of the components are best suited for the process a laboratory scale electrolyser was to be used to replicate the commercially scaled performance. The effect of feed water contaminants on electrolyser performance was also investigated by introducing iron and magnesium salt solutions and aqueous methanol solutions in the feed reservoir. Components to be tested included different PEM types as well as the base component on which the electrocatalyst layer is applied. The proton exchange membranes compared were standard Nafion® N117 and polybenzimidazole meta-sulfone sulfonated polyphenyl sulfone (PBI-sPSU). A laboratory scale electrolyser from Giner Electrochemical Systems was utilised where different components were tested and compared with one another. Experimental results with commercial membrane electrode assemblies and gas diffusion electrodes demonstrated the influence of temperature on electrolyser performance for the proton exchange membranes, where energy efficiency increased with temperature. The effect of pressure was insignificant over the selected pressure range. Comparison of membrane electrode assembly and gas diffusion electrode technologies showed enhanced performance from MEA technology, this was most likely due to superior electrocatalyst contact with the PEM. Results of synthesised Nafion® N117 and PBI-sPSU MEA showed increased performance for PBI-sPSU, but it was found to be more susceptible to damage under severe conditions. The effect of metal cations in the supply reservoir exhibited reduced energy efficiencies and increased specific energy consumption for the test duration. Treatment with sulphuric acid was found to partially restore membrane electrode assembly performance, though it is believed that permanent damage was inflicted on the membrane electrode assembly electrocatalyst. Use of aqueous methanol solutions were found to increase electrolyser performance. It was also found that aqueous methanol electrolysis occurs at lower current densities, whereas a combination of aqueous methanol and water electrolysis occurred at higher current densities depending on the concentration of methanol. / Thesis (MIng (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Lack of energy storage is a key issue in the development of renewable energy sources. Most renewables, especially solar and wind, when used alone, cannot sustain a reliably constant power output over an extended period of time. These sources generally generate variable amounts of power intermittently, therefore, an efficient electrical energy storage (EES) method is required to better temporally balance power generation to power consumption. One of the more promising methods of electrical energy storage is the unitized regenerative fuel cell (UFRC.) UFRCs are fuel cells that can operate in a charge-discharge cycle, similar to a battery, to store and then to subsequently release power. Power is stored by means of electrolysis while the products of this electrolysis reaction can be recombined as in a normal fuel cell to release the stored power. A major advantage of UFRCs over batteries is that storage capacity can be decoupled from cell power, thus reducing the potential cost and weight of the cell unit. Here we investigate UFRCs based on hydrogen-halogen systems, specifically hydrogen-bromine, which has potential for improved electrode reaction kinetics and hence cheaper catalysts and higher efficiency and energy density. A mathematical model has been developed to analyze this system and determine cell behavior and cycle efficiency under various conditions. The conventional H2-Br2 URFCs, however also so far have utilized Pt catalysts and Nafion membranes. Consequently, a goal of this work was to explore alternate schemes and materials for the H2-Br2 URFC. Thus, three generations of test cells have been created. The first two cells were designed to use a molten bromide salt, ionic liquid or anion exchange membrane as the ion exchange electrolyte with the liquids supported on a porous membrane. This type of system provides the potential to reduce the amount of precious metal catalyst required, or possibly eliminate it altogether. Each cell showed improvement over the previous generation, although the results are preliminary. The final set of results are promising for anion exchange membranes on a cost basis compared Nafion. Another promising energy storage solution involves liquid methanol as an intermediate or as a hydrogen carrier. An alternative to storing high-pressure hydrogen is to produce it on-board/on-site on demand via a methanol electrocatalytic reformer (eCRef), a PEM electrolyzer in which methanol-water coelectrolysis takes place. Methanol handling, storage, and transportation is much easier than that for hydrogen. The hydrogen produced via methanol eCref may then be used in any number of applications, including for energy storage and generation in a standard H2-O2 PEM fuel cell. The mathematical modeling and analysis for an eCref is very similar to that of the HBr URFC. In this work, a comprehensive model for the coelectrolysis of methanol and water into hydrogen is created and compared with experimental data. The performance of the methanol electrolyzer coupled with a H2-O2 fuel cell is then compared for efficiency to that of a direct methanol fuel cell data and was found to be superior. The results suggest that an efficient and small paired eCRef-fuel cell system is potentially be a cheaper and more viable alternative to the standard direct methanol fuel cell. Both the H2-Br2 URFC and the methanol eCref in combination with a H2-O2 fuel cell have significant potential to provide higher energy efficiency and energy density for EES purposes.