article · Scientific Reports
Hydrogen production using industrial electrolysers requires high electrical currents and stable direct-current voltages. Advanced power electronic converters play an essential role in meeting these operational demands, reducing harmonic distortions, and improving power quality compared to traditional six-pulse diode bridge systems. A wide range of AC-DC and DC-DC converter configurations, such as multi-pulse rectifiers, active front-end converters, and interleaved buck converters, support steady performance alongside fluctuating renewable energy inputs. Furthermore, modular and isolated converter topologies enable effective integration with multiple power sources while maintaining fault tolerance and current stability. By detailing electrolyser specifications, electrical models, and converter configurations, this work assesses how tailored circuit designs optimise efficiency and reliability. These insights assist in establishing robust power architectures for green hydrogen facilities powered by sustainable energy networks.
Generating green hydrogen requires converting electricity into chemical energy using electrolysers. These devices depend on stable, high-current electrical power, which can be difficult to supply when using variable renewable sources such as wind and solar. Modern power electronics solve this challenge by cleaning up electrical signals, reducing energy losses, and protecting sensitive industrial equipment, helping to make green hydrogen production cleaner and more reliable.
The work serves as a comparative engineering review that can inform power supply design for commercial electrolyser manufacturers, green hydrogen developers, and grid-integration engineers. By mapping out specific converter architectures for varying operational requirements, it aids early-stage system specification and equipment selection. However, because it provides an architectural review and comparative analysis rather than new hardware validation, practical deployment depends on separate engineering prototyping and field testing.
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This research article meticulously examines advanced power electronic converters crucial for optimizing electrolyzer perfor- mance in hydrogen production systems. It conducts a thorough review of mature electrolyzer types, detailing their specifications, electric models, manufacturers, and scalability. To meet the high current and stable DC voltage demands of industrial electrolyzers, the study delves into a broad spectrum of AC-DC and DC-DC converter topologies. It explores cutting-edge solutions like 12-pulse and 20-pulse rectifiers, advanced higher multi-pulse rectifiers utilizing conventional and auto-connected transformer units, Multi-Step Auto-connected Transformers (MSAT), polygon autotransformers, and auxiliary filters and circuits such as pulse multiplication circuits and active power filters. These innovations significantly reduce harmonic distortions and enhance power quality, addressing challenges inherent in conventional 6-pulse diode bridge rectifiers. The research also focuses on the efficiency and power factor correction capabilities of Active Front End (AFE) converters and the 3L-DNPC rectifier. Additionally, it investigates various DC-DC converters, including the Continuous Input Current Non-Isolated Bidirec- tional Interleaved Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter, the Interleaved Buck Converter (IBC) with extended duty cycles, the 3-level buck-boost converter with a coupled inductor, Quadratic converters designed for fault tolerance, the three-level interleaved buck converter, among others. Converter designs like the galvanically isolated half-bridge converter with controlled reverse-blocking switches for achieving zero voltage switching (ZVS), the Push-Pull isolated DC-DC converter prioritizing current stability, and the Isolated Full-Bridge Boost Converter (IFBBC) adept at handling fluctuating power outputs from renewable sources are also explored. Moreover, the study scrutinizes a range of converter configurations such as the Two-stage ZVT boost converter with LCL-Type SRC, multiphase interleaved DC-DC stage, and three-port isolated DC/DC converter for efficient integration with multiple energy sources concurrently. Discussing feature trends in power-to-hydrogen systems, the research reviews multi-cell modular rectifiers and multi-stage rectifiers. Overall, the study underscores the critical role of advanced converter topologies in enhancing efficiency, reliability, and power quality in electrolyzer systems, thereby contributing significantly to the progression of sustainable energy technologies.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-76191-6
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