Numerical Modeling of Electro-Chemical Hydrogen Production

Green Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is considered one of the most promising technologies for sustainable energy transition. However, Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE) presents several limitations. One of the most challenging is the formation of gas bubbles on the electrode surface, which reduces the overall efficiency of the system. This work thesis aims to optimize the operational parameters of AWE by developing numerical models to mitigate the negative effects of bubble formation. The work is divided into two main parts. The first involves the study of a simplified model, developed in COMSOL Multiphysics, which simulates the behavior of the Electric Double Layer (EDL) to understand better the microscopic phenomena that influence ion transport. The simplified model was validated through comparison with analytical solutions, developed in MATLAB. The second part simulates an Alkaline Water Electrolysis cell, developed in COMSOL Multiphysics, designed to simulate gas bubble formation and its effects on fluid dynamics and overall cell efficiency. A parametric study of this full model was performed to analyze the impact of temperature and pressure on cell efficiency. The results demonstrate that minimizing bubble formation by controlling operational parameters significantly improves the efficiency of the electrolytic process. This helps in developing more efficient and sustainable technologies for green hydrogen production.