Optimising Balance of Plant and Maximising Safety in PEM Electrolyzer Systems
This in-depth technical course is designed for engineers and professionals working with PEM electrolyzers at scale. With rich real-world experience and a signature engaging delivery style, Hunor will take you beyond the textbook—into the lived complexity of green hydrogen production systems.
What you’ll learn
- Describe what a PEM Electrolyser is and how it fits into the energy transition.
- Understand the operation and mechanical build up of the PEM Electrolyser Cell/ Stack.
- Name all parts of the Balance of Plant and understand the reason for each subsystem.
- Understand the basics of hydrogen safety in relation to the design of a PEM Electrolyser.
Course Content
- Introduction –> 5 lectures • 1hr 12min.
Requirements
This in-depth technical course is designed for engineers and professionals working with PEM electrolyzers at scale. With rich real-world experience and a signature engaging delivery style, Hunor will take you beyond the textbook—into the lived complexity of green hydrogen production systems.
You’ll explore:
- PEM stack operation: proton exchange dynamics, water crossover, and internal charge retention
- Balance of Plant (BoP) engineering: ultrapure water systems (0.09 µS/cm), plate heat exchangers, adiabatic vs. refrigerant cooling, and desiccant dryers cycling hot/cold gas
- Stack cell voltage monitoring, hydrogen-side pressure drop analysis, and safety interlocks
Hydrogen safety is a key focus. You’ll cover:
- The explosive window of 4%–75% H₂ in air, and why PEM electrolyzers are especially risky indoors
- LEL-based detector calibration (%LEL ≠ %H₂) and shutdown thresholds across international codes
- Hydrogen back-diffusion from 30 bar cathode to low-pressure anode—why minimum current density must be maintained to prevent flammable O₂-H₂ mixes
- Real-world failure case studies, including the Cureboard 2019 explosion
A deep dive into electrical safety includes:
- Why isolated stacks remain lethal due to capacitor-like charge storage
- How PEM stacks act like low-efficiency fuel cells when idle, recharging with ambient H₂/O₂
- How to use dischargers, lockout procedures, and continuous grounding to prevent fatal shocks—even days after shutdown
Finally, you’ll examine the latest in stack durability innovation:
- Extra cathode-side cooling to prevent hotspots and membrane thinning
- Light anode pressurization to shrink O₂ bubble size and improve membrane hydration
- Modular, isolable stack arrays (e.g. Enapter’s 420-stack Nexus and Omium’s redundancy approach) for serviceability and resilience
- Trade-offs in catalyst loading and water purification cost-benefit at system scale
By the end, you’ll understand how to safely run and optimize PEM electrolyzers in the field—balancing cost, safety, durability, and performance with confidence.