High Efficiency CuCl Electrolyzer for Cu-Cl Thermochemical Cycle

The Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle is a promising technology for hydrogen production due to moderate temperature requirements and compatibility with commercially demonstrated renewable heat sources, such as the solar power tower. CuCl/HCl electrolysis, the main hydrogen-producing step of the cycle, has...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Schatz, Rich, Kim, Soohyun, Khurana, Sanchit, Fedkin, Mark, Lvov, Serguei N.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
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Summary:The Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle is a promising technology for hydrogen production due to moderate temperature requirements and compatibility with commercially demonstrated renewable heat sources, such as the solar power tower. CuCl/HCl electrolysis, the main hydrogen-producing step of the cycle, has been investigated using a newly developed electrolyzer system supplemented by a number of electrochemical characterization techniques. Nafion- based membranes and Pt/C catalysts were used to prepare membrane electrode assemblies for these tests. The anolyte contained 1 to 2 mol·L -1 CuCl dissolved in 6 mol·L -1 HCl(aq), and the catholyte was a 6 mol·L -1 HCl(aq) solution. The results of the study showed that the applied potential of 0.7 V can produce the current density around 0.5 A·cm -2 for a period of 24 hours at a temperature of 80 °C and ambient pressure. The hydrogen production efficiency was found to be at 91-99 % without any decline during the test. No copper deposition was observed after the test on any component of the electrolyzer.
ISSN:1938-5862
1938-6737
DOI:10.1149/05049.0153ecst