【Frontiers of HaiChuan Technology】100-kilowatt-class high-efficiency seawater electrolysis hydrogen production system in demonstration operation at Huaneng Zhuanghe Offshore Wind Farm

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A 100-kilowatt-class high-efficiency seawater electrolysis hydrogen production system is being tested on trial at the Huaneng Zhuanghe offshore wind farm. Recently, the 100-kilowatt-class 20 Nm3/h high-efficiency seawater electrolysis hydrogen production system, independently developed by the research team led by Researcher Wang Erdong from the Metal Fuel Cell System Research Group (DNL0313 group) within the Alkane Fuel Cells and Composite Energy Sources Research Center of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, has been put into trial use at this wind farm. At present, the system is operating stably, with all performance indicators meeting the design requirements. Since its manufacture and commissioning were completed in September 2024, performance evaluations have been carried out continuously on this system. It operates stably and reliably, with the voltage in the electrolyzer cells reaching as low as 1.59 V@3000 A/m2. The direct current consumption is 3.80 kWh/Nm3 of H2, and the purity of the hydrogen gas is higher than 99.999%. To further verify the adaptability and responsiveness of efficient seawater electrolysis hydrogen production systems to the fluctuations in renewable energy power output, our institute and Huaneng Liaoning Clean Energy Company carried out a joint demonstration project at the Huaneng Zhuanghe offshore wind farm. The hydrogen production system was able to adapt well to the output characteristics of this offshore wind farm, demonstrating the reliability and advancement of seawater electrolysis hydrogen production technology and laying a solid foundation for the large-scale application of this technology. The 20 Nm3/h high-efficiency seawater electrolysis hydrogen production system incorporates a number of core technologies developed by Wang Erdong’s team in the field of seawater-based hydrogen production, including high-performance hydrogen production electrodes, new low-cost electrolyzers, a hydrogen production process capable of operating across a wide range of power levels, and a highly reliable system architecture. These elements ensure the stable, reliable, and efficient operation of the seawater electrolysis hydrogen production system under complex operating conditions.