Operation of an Inexpensive Bipolar Alkaline Electrolyser Producing a Mix of H2/O2 Fuel

Cian O'Reilly, Dublin Institute of Technology
Michael Farrell, Dublin Institute of Technology
David Harvey, NRG Energy
John Cassidy, Dublin Institute of Technology

Document Type Article

International Journal of hydrogen energy, Open access journal, Springer, Volume 41, Issue 4, 30 January 2016, Pages 2197-2201.

Abstract

This paper describes the operation of a bipolar alkaline electrolyser which is at least 60% efficient at evolving a hydrogen/oxygen mix. The electrolyser consists of 12 stainless steel ( SS316L) electrodes of area 5400 cm2 in a sealed polypropylene unit. A pulsed potential waveform is applied to the electrodes in 0.12M KOH electrolyte yielding on the order of 320 dm3/kWh of the hydrogen /oxygen mix. This compares favourably with commercial devices that are designed to yield hydrogen alone.