Pulsed electrolysis: A breakthrough for energy efficiency?
New insights about the energy efficiency of pulsed electrolyses emerged from a cooperation of SmartProSys researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg with experts from the Chair of Power Electronics and the Institute of Control Theory of the TU Dresden.
CDS member Dr.-Ing. Tanja Vidakovic-Koch, head of the research group Electrochemical Energy Conversion at Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg, participates in the research. The study came to the conclusion that a steady state (DC) operation is always more efficient although pulsed electrolysis is often seen as a possibility to increase the performance of electrochemical reactors. The newest research results of the scientists show that the pulsed regime has higher power requirements than the DC operation.
The focus of the study was on water electrolysis. For other electrochemical reactors similar outcomes in regard to the power consumption are expected.