Electrolytic Hydrogen Production Electrolyzer Ultrasonic Spraying

In the grand wave of global energy transformation, hydrogen energy is gradually emerging with its unique advantages and becoming a key force in the future energy development map. It is regarded as the only way to achieve the grand goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. At present, the main sources of hydrogen rely on fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal. However, this production method will inevitably emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, which will bring a heavy burden to the environment. In sharp contrast, the hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water is praised as “green hydrogen” because it produces almost no carbon emissions during the production process. It has become the ultimate development direction in the field of hydrogen production. Unfortunately, the production cost of “green hydrogen” is much higher than that of traditional fossil fuel hydrogen production at this stage. This problem seriously restricts the large-scale promotion and application of “green hydrogen”. In-depth analysis of the hydrogen production cost structure of the two mainstream electrolysis technologies, alkaline electrolyzer (AWE) and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEM), it is not difficult to find that equipment depreciation and electricity costs are like two mountains, accounting for the vast majority of the total cost. It can be seen that it is urgent to explore effective cost reduction measures, mainly focusing on reducing electricity prices to alleviate electricity cost pressure, extending the working time of electrolyzers to dilute depreciation and other fixed costs, and reducing the equipment cost of electrolyzers, especially PEM electrolyzers, through technological innovation and large-scale production methods.

In recent years, the continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions has caused global temperatures to rise all the way, and climate problems have become more severe, which has become a major challenge faced by all mankind. In order to accelerate the use of low-carbon and clean renewable energy and fully replace the current high-carbon fossil energy such as coal and oil, it has become urgent. In this magnificent energy transformation process, hydrogen energy has stood out with its many significant advantages such as clean and pollution-free, high energy density per unit mass, storability, renewable and wide sources. It has become the first choice of new energy technology that countries around the world are competing to develop, and it has even been dubbed the “ultimate energy” of the 21st century. At present, hydrogen is mainly used as a basic raw material for industrial production and is widely used in various chemical industries such as oil refining, synthetic ammonia, and synthetic methanol. With the gradual maturity of fuel cell technology in recent years and the accelerated commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, the huge potential of hydrogen as a power fuel has been increasingly valued by all walks of life.

At present, hydrogen production mainly relies on natural gas or coal to produce hydrogen, but these methods will produce carbon dioxide, which belongs to “gray hydrogen”. The industry unanimously recognized development direction is “green hydrogen”, that is, zero carbon emissions in the production process. At present, the main production method of green hydrogen is water electrolysis, which uses electricity to decompose water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen on electrodes. The core equipment for water electrolysis is the electrolyzer, which can be divided into three categories according to the difference in electrolytes: alkaline electrolyzer (AWE), proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEM), and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC).

As the main way to produce “green hydrogen”, water electrolysis is an indispensable key technology for the development of hydrogen energy, and an important pillar for achieving the “dual carbon” goal, while the electrolyzer is the core equipment for hydrogen production by electrolysis. Through the analysis of the hydrogen production costs of the mainstream alkaline electrolyzers and PEM electrolyzers in the current market, it can be seen that the cost of hydrogen production by electrolysis is still much higher than that of hydrogen produced by fossil energy at this stage, and it lacks economic competitiveness. Its cost is mainly composed of two parts: depreciation of electrolyzer equipment and electricity charges, which together account for more than 90%. The future cost reduction space is mainly concentrated in reducing electricity prices, increasing the working time of electrolyzers to dilute fixed costs, and reducing the investment cost of electrolyzers (especially PEM electrolyzers) through technological progress and large-scale production.

At this critical juncture, the emergence of ultrasonic spraying technology has brought new hope for improving the performance and reducing the cost of electrolyzers. Ultrasonic spraying technology has shown excellent application value in the field of electrolyzers. In the process of preparing electrode coatings, this technology uses the high-frequency vibration of ultrasound to accurately atomize the coating material into extremely fine particles, and then sprays these tiny particles evenly and stably onto the electrode surface through precisely controlled airflow. This unique process brings many significant advantages. First, in terms of coating accuracy, ultrasonic spraying technology can achieve high-precision coating at the micron level, ensuring uniform thickness of electrode coating, greatly improving the performance stability and reaction efficiency of the electrode. Secondly, from the perspective of material utilization, due to its excellent atomization effect, the coating material can be fully utilized, greatly reducing material waste and significantly reducing production costs. Furthermore, this technology has strong adaptability to electrolyzer electrodes of different types and sizes, and can be perfectly adapted to both alkaline electrolyzers and PEM electrolyzers, showing excellent compatibility. In addition, at the environmental protection level, the ultrasonic spraying process does not require high temperature, greatly reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution, which is fully in line with the advanced concept of green manufacturing.

With the continuous advancement and deepening of the “dual carbon” policy, the electricity cost of renewable energy (such as photovoltaics, wind power, etc.) continues to decrease, the large-scale promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is accelerating, and the hydrogen energy market is gradually maturing, the market demand for hydrogen will surely usher in explosive growth. Although in the short and medium term, “grey hydrogen” produced from traditional fossil raw materials will still dominate the market, in the long run, hydrogen production through water electrolysis with “green” electricity will surely become the mainstream direction of the future low-carbon economy and the only way for the development of hydrogen energy. With the widespread promotion of hydrogen energy and the continuous advancement of technology, the cost of “green hydrogen” will surely drop to an acceptable range, and hydrogen production through water electrolysis will also become the main source of hydrogen. The beautiful vision of a hydrogen energy society will eventually become a reality. The application of ultrasonic spraying technology in electrolyzers will undoubtedly inject strong impetus into the realization of this great goal and help the hydrogen energy industry reach a new peak of development.

About Cheersonic

Cheersonic is the leading developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic coating systems for applying precise, thin film coatings to protect, strengthen or smooth surfaces on parts and components for the microelectronics/electronics, alternative energy, medical and industrial markets, including specialized glass applications in construction and automotive.

Our coating solutions are environmentally-friendly, efficient and highly reliable, and enable dramatic reductions in overspray, savings in raw material, water and energy usage and provide improved process repeatability, transfer efficiency, high uniformity and reduced emissions.

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