Simulation study on the effect of temperature on hydrogen production performance of alkaline electrolytic water

Abstract

This study establishes a system model for hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis to analyze the performance of the alkaline water electrolysis system under different current densities, temperatures, and pressure conditions. To perform the performance simulation analysis, Aspen Plus software modules were used to build the model and carry out the performance analysis. Before conducting the system study, a voltage model of the alkaline electrolyzer was developed and fitted to experimental data for validation. The results indicate that theoretical thermal efficiency increases with increasing current density, and within a certain range, the current density can enhance system efficiency and reduce energy consumption, with a peak value at which system efficiency is maximized. Increasing the temperature can improve system efficiency and reduce energy consumption, but in practice, higher temperatures are not always better due to economic considerations and equipment limitations. While changing the pressure can slightly improve system efficiency and reduce energy consumption, its impact is minimal, making pressure an ineffective method for significantly enhancing efficiency or reducing energy consumption. The data and results of this study provide foundational material for research on hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis and enrich the theoretical research in this field to a certain extent.