Electrolyzers
Two alkaline water electrolyzers are present in the laboratory: the first, fabricated by ILT, is designed to produce the hydrogen gas for supplying the internal combustion engines, of the dedicated test benches; the second, manufactured by McPhy, represents a cutting-edge test bench, with the aim to expand the research over components degradation.
The opening ceremony of McPhy test bench took place on 19th December 2024 (see link for the dedicated page of unifi.it).
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1. Demineralized water system 2. Chiller 3. Stack 4. Air exchange hood |
Both electrolyzers are located in an environment to provide the maximum safety possible. A ventilation hood, positioned above each of them, ensures that in the event of hydrogen leak, flammability levels remain well below hazardous thresholds. The devices are remotely and safely operated. The work area is isolated from other zones by a safety door, which can be raised when the machinery is shut down for inspection. Furthermore, cameras and hydrogen detection sniffers are present in the room. In case of alarm the system is immediately shut down.
ILT: Elite 21000
ILT device |
1. Hydrogen sniffer 2. Molecular sieve dryer 3. Air exchange hood
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McPhy: McLyzer 20-30 HC
McLyzer stack |
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Manufactured by McPhy, this alkaline electrolyzer has advanced, zero-gap cells, for a total of 12 per stack. The production of hydrogen amounts to 20 Nm3/h.
The test bench is dedicated to assess the quality of the device undergoing variable operational phases, to reproduce the coupling to a renewable energy source. In particular, the aim is to expand the research about the components degradation in alkaline electrolyzers, particularly focusing on their performance and durability during frequent start-up and shut-down phases of operation.
Oxygen filter Oxygen and hydrogen separators
Detailed view of the electrolyzer plant
Latest publications on the topic
Dreoni, M., Balduzzi, F., Hossain, S. S., Neben, M., Ferro, F. M., Ferrara, G., & Bianchini, A. (2024). Definition of Critical Metrics for Performance Evaluation and Multiphase Flow Modeling in an Alkaline Electrolyzer Using CFD. Energies, 17(21), 5317.
Dreoni, M., Balduzzi, F., Ferro, F. M., Fagioli, G., Panichi, K., Ferrara, G., & Bianchini, A. (2023, December). Multi-physics model development and application to real-case alkaline electrolyzer. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 2648, No. 1, p. 012060). IOP Publishing.
Dreoni, M., Balduzzi, F., Ferrara, G., & Bianchini, A. (2022, December). Accuracy Assessment of the Eulerian Two-phase Model for the CFD Simulation of Gas Bubbles Dynamics in Alkaline Electrolyzers. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 2385, No. 1, p. 012040). IOP Publishing.