Electrolysis Development and Testing Based on HT-PEM-Technology
Within the project 16590 N „Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Elektrolyseurs auf Basis der Hochtemperatur-PEM-Technologie“ which was funded by the IGF, ZBT together with the partners ICVT from Stuttgart and fem from Schwäbisch Gmünd investigated if and how PEM-Electrolysis at temperatures above 100 °C and under dosing of water vapor instead of liquid water is possible using membranes on PBI basis as well as self-developed current collectors.
The focus areas lay in development, production and fundamental characterisation of phosphoric doped membranes (ICVT), development, production and analysis of current collectors for the anode side as well as designing, building up and operating a test bench with specially developed test cells for in situ measurements of single cells and the later on operations of an electrolysis “performance sample” with several cells based on the previously prepared membranes and current collectors (ZBT).
For in situ measurements, which should give information about the performance of new components, a new test cell was developed. The focus was on material selection and on the cell design. Furthermore a test bench was build up, which allows the operation of the test cells at temperatures up to 200 °C with the pulsation-free supply of water vapour at temperatures up to 180 °C. Additionally the ZBT provided carbon based electrodes, which were used on the cathode side.
With the supplied components from the project partners test cells were build up by ZBT and examined during the operations. It appeared that the cells with membranes and current collectors developed within this project could achieve only low current densities. Furthermore only short operation times were achieved due to loss of phosphoric acid in the membranes.