Anode half-cell
Cathode half-cell
Cathode half-cell
Anode half-cell
H O
+
H
O
H
Bipolar plate, gold - plated titanium
Repeat cells to build stack
Bipolar plate, gold-plated titanium
H O
PFSA Membrane
Porous Transport Layer (PTL) cathode, carbon cloth
Porous Transport Layer (PTL) anode, platinum - coated porous titanium
Anode, Iridium oxide catalyst
Cathode, platinum catalyst
Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA)
PEM - Proton Exchange Membrane or Polymer Electrolyte Membrane
PTL - Porous Transport Layer MEA - Membrane Electrode Assembly
BP or BPP - Bipolar Plate PFSA - Per ourosulphonic acid isomer, eg. Na on
Figure 6 PEM electrolyser stack architecture and critical components
Strategic investors Strategic investors with a history of smart involvement in the electrolyser production space have the opportunity to both use electrolysers internally and sell them to third parties. They may choose to double down on some of their favourite investments and bring them in-house. For example, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joined Longi and Andritz in HydrogenPro’s recent investment round. The Korean EPC specialist Samsung E&A has also taken an equity stake in Nel (Samsung E&A, 2025) . Soon after, Samsung revealed schematic layouts for large electrolyser systems integrating Nel’s stacks. Posco, a large South Korean steel maker, is a major investor in Hysata, one of Australia’s leading electrolyser start-ups. Of all the hydrogen technology innovators, Hysata has the greatest claim to be a mould-breaking pioneer with its bubble-free alkaline electrolyser. Its high efficiency results in very low operating costs, while its innovative design eliminates the need for many BOP items, reducing on- site installation complexity and equipment manufacturing costs. Posco may leverage this kind of technology for green steel production as well as to support the scale-up of electrolyser production to decarbonise other sectors.
Innovation with purpose The UK electrolyser innovator CPH2 is
developing a membrane-free electrolyser, which produces hydrogen and oxygen together and separates them using cryogenics to liquefy the oxygen. Despite the announcement of a demonstration plant deployment at a water treatment works in Northern Ireland in 2025, it announced that its existing cash balance would see its operations continue only until the end of 2025 (Parkes, 2025) . A ‘white knight’ is required to keep it above water. Membrane-less electrolysers break with conventional thinking. But are they safe? Most engineered systems that handle flammable materials rely on avoiding two of the three points on the fire triangle: an ignition source, a flammable gas, and an oxidiser. The safest engineering practices dictate that only one of these three elements should be present in the same place at the same time. When hydrogen and oxygen are produced together as a gas mixture in a membrane-less electrolyser, two of the three elements have been combined. There is no way to guarantee that a detonation and subsequent explosion will not take place. Electrostatic discharge inside the pipework may occur, even if good earthing practices have been implemented.
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
22
Powered by FlippingBook