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    Electrolysis: Amy Jewel, Rob Larkin and Todd Haurin

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    Electrolysis is a process that uses electrical energy to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. It involves passing an electric current through a liquid called an electrolyte to separate bonded elements or compounds. The three main types of electrolyzers are polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, alkaline electrolyzers, and solid oxide electrolyzers. While electrolysis can produce hydrogen from water, the process has low overall efficiency around 30% due to energy losses. Researchers are exploring ways to increase efficiency such as high temperature electrolysis and photoelectrolysis.

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    Electrolysis: Amy Jewel, Rob Larkin and Todd Haurin

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    love_puezied4793
    85 views24 pages
    Electrolysis is a process that uses electrical energy to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. It involves passing an electric current through a liquid called an electrolyte to separate bonded elements or compounds. The three main types of electrolyzers are polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, alkaline electrolyzers, and solid oxide electrolyzers. While electrolysis can produce hydrogen from water, the process has low overall efficiency around 30% due to energy losses. Researchers are exploring ways to increase efficiency such as high temperature electrolysis and photoelectrolysis.

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    Electrolysis is a process that uses electrical energy to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. It involves passing an electric current through a liquid called an electrolyte to separate bonded elements or compounds. The three main types of electrolyzers are polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, alkaline electrolyzers, and solid oxide electrolyzers. While electrolysis can produce hydrogen from water, the process has low overall efficiency around 30% due to energy losses. Researchers are exploring ways to increase efficiency such as high temperature electrolysis and photoelectrolysis.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    85 views24 pages

    Electrolysis: Amy Jewel, Rob Larkin and Todd Haurin

    Uploaded by

    love_puezied4793
    Electrolysis is a process that uses electrical energy to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. It involves passing an electric current through a liquid called an electrolyte to separate bonded elements or compounds. The three main types of electrolyzers are polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, alkaline electrolyzers, and solid oxide electrolyzers. While electrolysis can produce hydrogen from water, the process has low overall efficiency around 30% due to energy losses. Researchers are exploring ways to increase efficiency such as high temperature electrolysis and photoelectrolysis.

    Copyright:

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    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 24

    Electrolysis

    Amy Jewel, Rob Larkin and Todd Haurin

    “Water will be the coal of the future.”

    -Jules Verne, 1874


    The process

    of hair
    removal…
    Is NOT our topic today!
    What is electrolysis?
    • Definition of Electrolysis:
    → A chemical process in which bonded `
    elements and compounds are dissociated
    by the passage of an electric current.
    • The electrolysis of water:
    → 2H2O + energy = 2H2 + 2O2
    A Basic Electrolyzer
    • Two electrodes:
    – Cathode (negatively charged)
    – Anode (positively charged)

    • An Electrolyte

    • External circuit

    • Diaphragm
    Polymer Electrolyte Membrane
    (PEM) Electrolyzers:
    1. Uses a solid plastic
    material as an
    electrolyte.

    2. Water reacts at the


    anode to form
    oxygen, electrons,
    and positively
    charged hydrogen
    ions (protons).
    Polymer Electrolyte Membrane
    (PEM) Electrolyzers:
    3. The electrons
    flow through an
    external circuit to
    the cathode.
    4. The hydrogen
    ions move across
    the PEM to the
    cathode, where
    they combine
    with the electrons
    to form hydrogen
    gas
    Alkaline Electrolyzers
    • Similar to PEM electrolyzers, except that they use
    an alkaline solution as an electrolyte.
    • Usually this solution is sodium hydroxide or
    potassium hydroxide.
    • This type of
    electrolyzer
    has been in
    use commercially
    for several
    decades
    Solid Oxide Electrolyzers
    • A solid ceramic material is used as the electrolyte.
    • At the cathode, water combines with electrons from the
    external circuit to produce hydrogen gas and negatively
    charged oxygen ions.
    • The oxygen ions move through the solid oxide
    membrane and release electrons to the external circuit.
    • In order for this type of electolyzer to function properly,
    the solid oxide membrane must be between 500 – 800
    degrees Celsius, which is much higher than the
    temperatures required by the other electrolyzers
    Energy Balance and Efficiency
    of Electrolysis

    The electricity needed for hydrogen


    production by electrolysis can currently be
    generated by a variety of sources,
    including:
    • fossil fuels
    • wind power
    • photovoltaic cells
    • hydropower
    Necessary Water Inputs
    For Electrolysis
    • Amount of water needed to meet average
    US person’s energy demand though
    electrolysis: 3,000 liters of water per
    year
    • Amount of water currently used by an
    average US person for indoor residential
    purposes: 138,770 liters a year
    Electrolysis Efficiency
    Basics
    • Although hydrogen is a promising
    alternative fuel, hydrogen production by
    electrolysis is not extremely efficient.
    • The primary energy inputs to be
    considered are the energy requirements
    for building and running an electrical
    generating facility.
    Energy Balance - Part I
    • An input of 1.4 billion kW per hour of
    electricity is required to produce 1 billion
    kW per hour of hydrogen by electrolysis.
    • Energy balance = (Useful Energy
    Output)/(Energy Input)
    • = (1 kW/hr electricity)/(1.4 kW/hr
    hydrogen energy)
    • = 0.71, or 71% efficiency for the initial
    electrolysis process.
    Energy Balance - Part II
    • The other main process to consider in
    production of hydrogen gas is the necessary
    cooling of hydrogen to about minus 253
    degrees Celsius.
    • This process demands considerable energy,
    resulting in a loss of approximately 30 percent
    of the hydrogen energy.
    • As a result of each stage of the hydrogen
    production process, the total production
    efficiency is approximately 30 %.
    High Temperature
    Electrolysis
    • Process which could increase hydrogen
    efficiency to the range of 45 to 50 %
    • The DOE is currently examining the use of high
    temperature electrolysis powered by fossil fuel,
    renewable, and even nuclear technologies.
    • High temperature electrolysis utilizes the solid
    oxide electrolyzer described earlier.
    High Temperature
    Electrolysis
    • The efficiency increase is achieved
    because high temperature electrolysis
    utilizes a significant amount of heat, for
    example from a nuclear reactor.
    • The added heat decreases the amount of
    electricity required to separate the water
    into hydrogen and oxygen. 
    Photoelectrolysis

    Photoelectrolysis: Clean and renewable means of


    deriving hydrogen Also known as ‘Water Splitting’
    (2 processes):
    1) Conversion of solar radiation to electricity in
    photovoltaic cells
    2) Electrolysis of water in a separate cell

    Conversion efficiency = 3% - 32%


    Photoelectrolysis

    However, the 2 processes can be combined in


    a single nanoscale process: Photon
    absorption creates a local electron-hole pair
    that electrochemically splits a neighboring
    water molecule. In theory, rather than 2
    sequential process, the combination can allow
    for greater overall efficiency,
    Photoelectrolysis

    Challenges: Finding a robust


    semiconductor to satisfy the competing
    requirements of nature. Solar photons
    are primarily visible light, a wavelength
    that requires semiconductors that require
    small bandgaps < 1.7 eV - for efficient
    absorption.
    Photoelectrolysis
    Possible solution: Oxide
    based conductors -
    Titanium oxide
    • Advantage – robust in
    aqueous environments
    but have
    • Disadvantage - wide
    bandgaps ~ 3.0 eV
    Photoelectrolysis

    Dye-sensitized photocells:
    accumulate energy from multiple low-energy
    photons to inject higher-energy electrons into
    the semiconductor – a promising direction for
    matching the solar spectrum.
    Other Applications of
    Electrolysis:
    • pH meters -
    Other Applications of
    Electrolysis:
    • Electroplating
    Other Applications of
    Electrolysis:
    • Anionic polymerization

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