Hydrogen production electrolysis cell

These reactions can be carried out at room temperature. Hydrogen gas can also be produced on a laboratory scale by the electrolysis of an aqueous solution. Production of hydrogen through electrolysis is also used industrially. This involves the following reaction at the cathode of the electrochemical cell ... 

Performance parameters of the electrolysis include the applied voltage, E (V), the applied current, I (A), and the hydrogen production rate, Q (Nt/h) at the reference condition of 0.1 MPa (1 bar) and 273 K (0°C). The Faraday efficiency, cr, expressed in Equation 4.6, is the ratio of AG to the applied power, I E, that is, the ratio of the theoretical electric power needed for the electrolysis to the actually applied power of the cell. Thus, the Faraday efficiency is one useful measurement to judge electrolysis performance. 

Hydrogen will possibly play a major role among prospective energy carriers, and the most suitable method for industrial hydrogen production is water electrolysis. Membrane cells provide much better efficiency in comparison with other methods.27... 

Iceland escapes this dilemma because most of their energy is from clean sources, hydropower and geothermal, rather than from hydrocarbon combustion. Since there are few emissions in the production of their electricity, providing hydrogen by electrolysis does not spoil the zero-emission advantage for Iceland s fuel cells. 

The simplest kind of cell construction, shown in Figure 19.19(d), suffices for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water and for the recovery of chlorine from waste HC1. The term filter-press cell is applied to this kind of equipment because of the layered construction. These two electrolyses are economically feasible under some conditions. Some details are given by Hine (1985). 

---