Importance of hydrogen oxidation reaction current in quantifying hydrogen crossover in PEM water electrolyzers at high differential pressure

Gawas, Ramchandra; Kushner, Douglas I.; Peng, Xiong; Mukundan, Rangachary

doi:10.1039/d5ee00048c

Importance of hydrogen oxidation reaction current in quantifying hydrogen crossover in PEM water electrolyzers at high differential pressure

Journal Article · Tue Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Energy & Environmental Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ee00048c· OSTI ID:2567564

^[1]; Kushner, Douglas I. ^[1]; Peng, Xiong ^[1]; Mukundan, Rangachary ^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Understanding hydrogen permeation in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) operating at high differential pressures (>25 bar) is critical towards developing effective gas recombination strategies that enable safe operation and high efficiency. Developing this understanding relies on accurate quantification of hydrogen crossover rates in water electrolyzers operating under such conditions. In this work, we show that PEMWEs operating at high differential pressures exhibit noticeable hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) currents. As the HOR consumes part of the permeated hydrogen at the anode, neglecting HOR currents leads to severe underestimation of the hydrogen crossover rate. We implemented a new method combining hydrogen oxidation current with online gas chromatography measurements to accurately quantify hydrogen crossover rates as a function of operating current density in PEMWEs operating at high differential pressures (10–30 bar_g).

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2567564

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2567029

Journal Information:: Energy & Environmental Science, Journal Name: Energy & Environmental Science Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 18; ISSN 1754-5706; ISSN 1754-5692

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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