Single-phase and two-phase flow numerical simulations in the porous transport layer of water electrolyzers

This thesis is centered on enhancing the efficiency of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers (PEMWEs), with a particular emphasis on high current density operation, which is essential for large-scale hydrogen production. The research specifically explores the influence of the anodic Porous Transport Layer (PTL), examining how its geometric and structural properties affect the electrolyzer's overall performance and associated overpotentials. It was observed that mass transport losses are significantly impacted by the complex two-phase flow of oxygen and water within the PTL. To thoroughly analyze these phenomena, this study employs a series of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to analyze and compare flow behavior across different PTL configurations. These simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent and OpenFOAM software packages, allowing for in-depth insights into the complex correlation between PTL design and mass transport phenomena. This approach enabled a detailed understanding of the fluid dynamics within these porous structures, which would be difficult to obtain otherwise.