(348a) Engineering Process Model for High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis System Performance Evaluation

In order to evaluate the potential hydrogen production performance of large-scale High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) operations, we have developed an engineering process model at INL using the commercial systems-analysis code HYSYS. Using this code, a detailed process flowsheet has been defined that includes all of the components that would be present in an actual plant such as pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, turbines, and the electrolyzer. Since the electrolyzer is not a standard HYSYS component, a custom one-dimensional electrolyzer model was developed for incorporation into the overall HYSYS process flowsheet. This electrolyzer model allows for the determination of the operating voltage, gas outlet temperatures, and electrolyzer efficiency for any specified inlet gas flow rates, current density, cell active area, and external heat loss or gain. The one-dimensional electrolyzer model was validated by comparison with results obtained from a fully 3-D computational fluid dynamics model developed using FLUENT. This report provides details on the one-dimensional electrolyzer model, the HYSYS process model for a 300 MW HTE plant, and some representative results of parametric studies performed using the HYSYS process model.