Test facility for industrial-scale alkaline water electrolysis stacks

Description

At the Research Center Energy Storage Technologies (EST) of TU Clausthal, a test facility for industrial-scale cell stacks was commissioned in 2022 as part of the research platform H2Giga of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This enables the use of stacks with an electrical power of up to 150 kilowatts at currents of up to 4000 amperes. This allows scientists at TU Clausthal, together with partners from industry, to address key questions regarding the performance of the stacks, the stability of the cell components (electrodes, separators) under dynamic load profiles as expected from fluctuating renewable energies, as well as the effects of dynamic operation on the gas purity of the hydrogen. Additionally, the test facility, with its electrical components, allows the investigation and evaluation of the grid feedback effects of future electrolysis systems.