How to build a Digital Twin for operating PEM-Electrolyser system – A reference approach

Abstract

Operating electrolyzers for producing green hydrogen is a critical emerging issue because of either the broader use of hydrogen for several scopes or the short life span and efficiency of these components. Digital Twin offers a new opportunity to effectively face these problems by improving online control and providing fault detection, diagnosis, and prediction services. Since the Digital Twin is, in fact, a virtual mirror of a real system continuously updated by information received from the field, it allows it to swiftly react to small signals of departure from standard or optimal conditions. Although Digital Twins are widely applied in different fields, comprehensive guidance on developing and designing a Digital Twin in the literature is still lacking. This manuscript aims to provide a comprehensive guide on how to build the Digital Twin of a PEM-Electrolyzer. In particular, the architecture of the Digital Twin is initially presented, then all its components are analyzed, showing the steps to be performed to build a Digital Twin for operating PEM-Electrolyser system.