Characterization of Aging Effects during PEM Electrolyzer Operation Using Voltage Instabilities Evolution

The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMWE) technology is an up-and-coming technology for the hydrogen vector. Although already present in the industry, it still presents several technological drawbacks. One of them concerns MEA, whose price is still high (mainly due to the noble metals used for the catalysts (iridium for example)), for a rather limited lifetime. Indeed, the MEAs degradation’s due to the PEMWE operation’s over a long time is an exciting study criterion, aiming to optimize their lifetime. During a PEMWE operating cycles, the aging mechanism is linked to the different combinations of parameters imposed on it, particularly the current and the set voltage. At the end of MEA life operation, the analysis of the voltage signals behaviour of a PEMWE with time revealed, during changes of operating points, a phenomenon of instability, which increases with the working time. Using mathematical descriptors to quantify these instabilities permit the prediction of the temporal evolution of this phenomenon.