Comparative Study of Humidification Strategies and Water Management in Electrochemical Hydrogen Pumps

#RCES #IEEE #seminar #research #EHPs #electrochemical

During this seminar, the invited speaker will give a presentation titled "Comparative Study of Humidification Strategies and Water Management in Electrochemical Hydrogen Pumps". Please see the abstract below:

Electrochemical hydrogen pumps (EHPs) offer a promising alternative to mechanical compression by enabling hydrogen separation and compression in a single step. However, their performance depends strongly on membrane hydration. This work compares two water management strategies in low-platinum-loading EHPs: cathode-side liquid water circulation and anode gas humidification. Cells with platinum loadings of 0.1 mg/cm² per electrode were evaluated using electrochemical characterization and real-time water balance measurements.

Both configurations achieved cell voltages below 0.025 V at 1.5 A/cm², while anode gas humidification delivered better performance at higher current densities. Water balance and high-frequency resistance measurements indicate that opposing water diffusion and electro-osmotic drag in the liquid-water-fed configuration can lead to insufficient membrane hydration. With humidified anode gas, these transport mechanisms act in the same direction, supporting improved hydration and performance. These findings provide guidance for designing effective water management strategies for low-temperature EHPs.