—

A P P L I C AT I O N G U I D E

Protection solutions for Green Hydrogen

production

Green hydrogen is pivotal in

reaching the world’s
decarbonization objectives.
Now is the time to establish
a secure system to guarantee
safe production, storage,
and transportation of H₂.

What is green hydrogen?

Hydrogen is the most prevalent element on Earth
and across the universe, forming the primary com-
position of stars.

On Earth, hydrogen exists combined with oxygen in Fuel for Heat for Feedstock for
water or with carbon, constituting hydrocarbons Transport Industry Chemicals

like methane, a key component of natural gas.

When combusted, hydrogen produces no CO₂, only

Steel, Paper, Fertilizers
water vapor. However, obtaining hydrogen necessi- Fuel refining
Aluminium,
tates substantial electrical energy for powering ei- Cement, Food Plastics
ther the electrolysis process – extracting hydrogen
from water – or the reforming process, which re-
Power Buildings Products
trieves hydrogen from hydrocarbons, yielding what
is known as ‘gray H₂’.

‘Green hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen obtained Electricity, Metallurgy,

Residential
through electrolysis, employing electricity derived Peaking, Glass, Steel
& Commercial
Plants Food,
from renewable energy sources.

Renewable / Nuclear Natural Gas Coal Grid

Carbon Capture

Electrolysis Steam Methane Reforming Gasification Electrolysis

Green Grey Blue Brown Yellow

 Hydrogen distribution

Hydrogen Storage

Hydrogen production

Hydrogen Consumption

—
ABB participates throughout
the hydrogen ecosystem
—
ABB Portfolio for the Hydrogen Ecosystem

Hydrogen production Hydrogen distribution & consumption

ABB Ability
Process Power
Management Mobility (ecosystem)

HRS
ABB Power Drivers Batteries/SC
Hydrogen
Quality &
Refueling
Rectifiers
Station On board
Unit Operation & Control Motor H₂ Storage Full Cell Drives Motor
Transmission Grid

ABB Medium & MV

System Powertrain and complete onboard system expertise
Hydrogen Storage

Low Voltage Grid AC/DC Electrolyzer Compressor

Energy Storage + stationary generator

ABB Motors Filter/Compensation 1-100+MW Sensors
and Drivers
Fuell Cell DC/AC Grid/Island
Balance-of-Plant (BoP)
ABB Ability
Optimax (Digital) Industry: Power, Heating and Feedstock
DC/DC
Chemical O&G Steel
ABB Converters &
BESS Converter

ABB Gas Analyzer Emergency Management System (EMS) / Process Control

and Instruments
System Design and Implementation (modular) + Advanced Services/Maintance

ABB Ports
and Marine ABB Ability Platform - integrated Functional, technological and operational ecosystem

ABB Offering
—
ABB IS PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE HYDROGEN ECO -
SYSTEM, WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HYDROGEN PRODUC-
TION, HYDROGEN STOR AGE, AND HYDROGEN DIS-
TRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION. IN THIS DOCUMENT,
WE WILL FOCUS ON HYDROGEN PRODUCTION.
 Main concerns and problems One kilogram of hydrogen contains 3.1 times the en-
ergy of one kg of gasoline and 2.6 times the energy
related with H₂ of 1 kg of natural gas.

• Production and use is very energy inefficient,

Making H₂ from electricity does not guarantee low
• H₂ is light but requires more space for storage to
emissions. Electrolyzers supplied from an average
offer similar energy capacity,
grid can generate more CO₂ per kg of H₂ produced
• Transport of H₂ is harder than transporting natu-
than gray hydrogen. Blue H₂, obtained from reform-
ral gas,
ing process with carbon capture and storage, may
• H₂ cannot simply be stored and transported with
emit less CO₂ than grid connected electrolysis. Only
existing infrastructure,
electrolyzers, powered by renewable energy, pro-
• High water usage,
duce H₂ without emitting CO₂.
• Danger of explosion.

What’s an Electrolyzer?
An electrolyzer is a device that produces hydrogen
Water 9 kg 1 kg
through a chemical process, namely electrolysis,
which separates the hydrogen and oxygen mole-
Electrolysis
cules in water using electricity.

Electricity 41.4 kWh from 8 kg

renewable sources The electrolyzer comprises a conductive electrode
stack separated by a membrane. A high voltage and
current are applied to this assembly, generating an
Producing hydrogen from electricity and converting
electric current in the water and subsequently
it back to energy incurs high energy losses. Nowa-
breaking it down into its constituent components:
days, direct electrification is cheaper than H₂ in
hydrogen and oxygen.
many instances.

From a thermodynamic perspective, the electrolysis

To make 1 kg of H₂ via electrolysis, normally 9 kg of
process attains greater electronic efficiency at
water are required and, depending on electrolyzer
higher temperatures.
type, efficiency and lifetime, around 50 kWh of elec-
tricity. That kg of H₂ contains 39.4 kWh of energy.
That means 78% of efficiency. Types of electrolyzers
Storing hydrogen in a tank requires energy for com- AEL process
pressing the gas. At 500 bar pressure, the energy
equivalent losses are around 5%. So, 95% of efficiency.
Renewable energies

Finally, generating electricity from H₂ in an open cy-

cle gas turbine has an efficiency close to 48%.

Then, the total efficiency of a hydrogen-fueled

e-
power plant is: e-

48% × 95% × 78% = 35% Hydrogen Oxygen

Membrane

Use electricity to make H₂

78%
e- e-

Total H+ H+

Cathodic reaction Anodic reaction

efficiency: 4H+ + 4e- _> 2H₂ 2H₂O _>O₂ + 4H+ + 4e-
35%

Use H₂ to generate Store H₂ in

electricity a pressurized tank
48% 95%
 • Alkaline or AEL Race to 2030:
This type of electrolyzer uses a liquid electrolyte
solution, typically potassium hydroxide (KOH), in When examining future project scenarios, alkaline
water. Hydrogen is generated within a cell that in- electrolyzers have been chosen for all projects that
cludes an anode, a cathode, and a membrane. The are connected to and powered by the grid. In con-
cells are commonly assembled in series to produce trast, PEM electrolyzers potentially offer cost bene-
more H₂ – this assembly is referred to as a ‘stack’. fits when directly connected to distributed intermit-
• Acidic or PEM tent renewable energy sources. Approximately 60%
PEM electrolyzers utilize a Proton Exchange Mem- of the announced projects operating with a direct
brane, a solid polymer electrolyte, and pure water. connection to renewables (either installed onsite or
When a current is applied, water separates into hy- offsite via physical PPAs) have chosen PEM electro-
drogen and oxygen. Hydrogen protons pass lyzers, while about 40% have selected alkaline ones.
through the membrane, forming H₂ gas on the
cathode side. This process necessitates the use of Alkaline electrolyzers are slated for deployment with
expensive metals, such as platinum, titanium, or an average project size nearly twice as large
iridium, for catalyst layers. (~120 MW), whereas PEM electrolyzers seem more
• SOEC or HTE distributed, with an average project size of approxi-
The Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell operates at tem- mately 70 MW.
peratures below 1,000 °C and is therefore also
known as High Temperature Electrolysis. It uses a Power source Technology split Technology split
solid ceramic material as an electrolyte. of projects of projects directly of grid-connected
planned between powered projects
• AEM 2020-2030 by renewables
The Anion Exchange Membrane is in its early devel-
opment stages and is an evolution of AEL, using a
lower alkaline electrolyte concentration, and it
does not require noble metals in the cells.

SOEC process:
U
87% Direct 39% Alkaline 100% Alkaline
renewables 58% PEM
13% Grid 3% Solid-Oxide

H² Electrolyte O₂
solid oxide

2030 electrolyzer project pipeline by technology

O₂ Planned capacity Number of projects
2020-2030 (MW) 2020-2030 by technology
H² by technology
e- e-
H O²-
O₂
H₂O
O²- O²

H₂O
6000 Alkaline 50 Alkaline
Cathode Anode 7000 PEM 100 PEM
steam electrode air electrode 300 Grid 10 Grid

Op. Op.
temp. press. Cathode Anode
Type [°C] [Bar] Gas Gas Cost
Alkaline H₂ O₂
(AEL) 15 – 220 <30 H₂O H₂O Lowest
Acidic O₂
(PEM) 40 – 80 <30 H₂ H₂O High
Solid H₂ Not
Oxide 500 – 1,000 <10 H₂O O₂ commercial
Levelized Cost of Hydrogen Currently, electricity costs account for more than
60% of the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) share
(LCOH) in Alkaline Electrolyzer (AEL) systems and more than
40% in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) systems.
The 3 major factors affecting LCOH are:

The scale effect demonstrates a decreasing trend

• CAPEX
for both Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) and Opera-
• Electricity cost (LCOE)
tions & Maintenance items. Approximately a 10%
• Utilization rate or capacity factor
LCOH reduction is achieved by scaling an Alkaline
system from 5 MW to 100 MW.
If an electrolyzer has a high scale of utilization, the
Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) plays a less significant
For a 5 MW PEM system, the LCOH over a 25-year
role. However, the capex becomes a crucial factor in
lifespan is nearly 30% higher than that of an Alkaline
medium and low utilization ranges, which are com-
system, due to the high CAPEX of the PEM system.
mon when powered by renewable sources.

—
Electrolyzer System
Electrolyze System CAPEX
CAPEX Forecast
Forecast

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Chinese Alkaline $/kW Sources: Chinese electrolyzer CAPEX

from CEA data and cost models-
Western Alkaline $/kW Western electrolyzer CAPEX from
BNEF and others
Chinese PEM $/kW
Note: CAPEX includes stack and bal-
Western PEM $/kW
ance of plant
 Other elements of H₂ production: the last molecules of oxygen – less than 0.2% –
through a catalytic reaction.
Transformer & Rectifier
These convert the AC voltage supply into the DC cur- Dryer
rent input at the necessary voltage. This system dries the gas to achieve the appropriate
dew point. Typically, it comprises twin towers filled
Electrolyte System with regenerative desiccant to absorb water.
This is the recirculation system for the electrolyte
solution. The gas separators recover a part of the Compressor
electrolyte, which is then chilled, filtered, and recy- This is used to compress the gas from atmospheric
cled into the electrolyzer. pressure to the pressure necessary for the process
or the storage/transport system (ranging from 80
Gas Holder to 900 bars).
This serves as a buffer tank between the electro-
lyzer and the compression system. The comprehensive system also includes filters –
purer water enhances the performance of existing
Gas/Water Separator membranes – pumps & motors, heating and refriger-
This removes residual traces of the electrolyte. ation systems, as well as instruments for measuring
pressure, liquid level, gas content, temperature, and
Deoxidizer humidity. Finally, it incorporates storage tanks for
The hydrogen from the electrolyzer is a very pure oxygen (which could also be released into the atmo-
gas saturated with water. This component removes sphere) and hydrogen.

—
Layout for an alkaline electrolyzer plant

High pressure
Feed water supply Vented oxygen Gas/water separator Deoxo Buffer tank compressor

O₂ H₂
Electrolyzer
Dryer
High pressure
buffer tank

Gasholder Water ring

compressor To process

High voltage
supply
Water/KOH
Electrolyte Tank
Lye
Filter
Transformer Rectifier

Hydrogen
—
Oxygen
NOTE: THIS CONFIGUR ATION IS FOR A GENERIC
Water SYSTEM AND MIGHT NOT BE REPRESENTA-
TIVE OF ALL EXISTING MANUFACTURERS.
Water/KOH
BASED ON IRENA ANALYSIS.
—
Layout for a PEM electrolyzer plant

Condensate
Low High
pressure pressure Deoxo Hydrogen
side side

Dryer
Gas
Gas Gas
O₂ H₂ reservoir
separator separator

Feed water Ion

supply exchanger Compressor Condensate

Circulation Electrolyzer
pump

Transformer Rectifier

—
NOTE: THIS CONFIGUR ATION IS FOR A GENERIC
Hydrogen
SYSTEM AND MIGHT NOT BE REPRESENTA-
Oxygen
TIVE OF ALL EXISTING MANUFACTURERS.
Water BASED ON IRENA ANALYSIS.

—
Layout for a SOEC electrolyzer plant

Heater
Gas/Water Pre-heater Pre-heater
H₂ Separator Steam Air

O₂ Vented out
Feed liquid
water supply

Evaporator
Stack

Transformer Rectifier

—
Hydrogen NOTE: THIS CONFIGUR ATION IS FOR A GENERIC
SYSTEM AND MIGHT NOT BE REPRESENTA-
Oxygen
TIVE OF ALL EXISTING MANUFACTURERS.
Water BASED ON IRENA ANALYSIS.
Different solutions – different Typically, the DC energy consumption for 1 Nm³ of
H₂ is around 4 – 6 kWh. Therefore, a 4,000 Nm³/h
production scales: plant is capable of producing 360 kg of H₂ per hour
while consuming 20 MWh.
Commercially, PEM electrolyzers are available with
hydrogen production capacities ranging from 0.27
Here are some examples of commercial
to 1.05 Nm³/h – suitable for replacing pressurized
configurations:
hydrogen cylinders – to 10, 30, and even up to
30 Nm³/h.
• Alkaline Electrolyzer (AEL):
• 15 Nm³/h with 1 stack, energy consumption of
Medium-sized units fall within the range of 100 to
5.4 kWh/Nm³, and a power rating of 80 kW.
800 Nm³, and large-scale plants with PEM electrolyz-
• 100 Nm³/h with 6 stacks, energy consumption of
ers can generate up to 5,000 Nm³/h. Alkaline elec-
5 kWh/Nm³, and a power rating of 500 kW.
trolyzers, on the other hand, can range from 50 to
• Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM):
19,400 Nm³/h.
• 300 Nm³/h with 1 stack, energy consumption of
5 kWh/Nm³, and a power rating of 1.5 MW.
But what is Nm³? A normal cubic meter (Nm³) refers
• 5,000 Nm³/h with 10 stacks, energy consumption
to the amount of gas that fits into the volume of one
of 5 kWh/Nm³, and a power rating of 25 MW.
cubic meter at a temperature of 0 °C and one atmo-
spheric pressure (1 bar). Keep in mind: 1 kg of H₂ is
equal to 11.12 Nm³.

AEL PEM SOEC AEM

Nominal current density 0.2 – 0.8 A/cm² 1 – 2 A/cm² 0.3 – 1.0 A/cm² 0.2 – 2.0 A/cm²
Voltage range 1.4 – 3.0 V 1.4 – 2.5 V 1.0 – 1.5 V 1.4 – 2.0 V
Operating temperature 15 – 220 °C 50 – 80 °C 500 – 1,000 °C 40 – 60 °C
Load range 15 – 100% 5 – 120% 30 – 125% 5 – 100%
H₂ purity 99.9 – 99.9998% 99.9 – 99.9999% 99.9% 99.9 – 99.999%
Voltage efficiency 50 – 68% 50 – 68% 75 – 85% 52 – 67%
Electrical efficiency
(stack) 47 – 66 kWh/kg H₂ 47 – 66 kWh/kg H₂ 35 – 50 kWh/kg H₂ 51.5 – 66 kWh/kg H₂
Lifetime (stack) 60,000 hours 50,000 – 80,000 hours <20,000 hours 5,000 hours +
Stack unit size 1 MW 1 MW 5 kW 2.5 kW
Electrode area 10,000 – 30,000 cm² 1,500 cm² 200 cm² <300 cm²
State of the art and key KPIs for all electrolyzer technologies
Source. IRENA. Green Hydrogen Cost Reduction. 2020
 Balance of Plant. Power supply Electrolysis plants with sizes below 100 MW typically
connect to the medium-voltage grid (20 – 30 kV).
To convert AC to DC, thyristor-based rectifiers are A 100 MW plant would connect to the high-voltage
typically employed. These rectifiers operate at DC grid (110 kV), and large-scale plants up to 1 GW
voltage levels of several hundred volts, providing would connect to the grid at 230 – 380 kV.
sufficient current for the stacks.
But rectifiers are supplied with low voltage (around
The degradation of electrolysis cells results in a 400 V) So, low voltage transformers are also required.
higher cell voltage and increased operation hours.
Consequently, the stack voltage needs to be aug- Rectifiers are typically connected to the stack,
mented to produce the same amount of hydrogen which is a series of electrolysis cells commonly con-
with degraded cells. Therefore, rectifiers should be nected in series.
chosen taking into account the stack’s minimum
voltage (at the start of life) and maximum voltage The voltage and current vary depending on the num-
(at the end of life). ber of cells in the stack design.

To mitigate the effects of the converters’ reactive For splitting liquid water, a voltage of 1.48 volts is
power, filter circuits are incorporated into the sys- required. This is the voltage at which an electrolysis
tem. Additionally, the power grid needs to be stable cell operating at 25 °C can function without produc-
enough to endure the reactive power, potentially ne- ing excess heat. However, commercial cells operate
cessitating the installation of compensation sys- above this voltage and generate excess heat; in fact,
tems such as Static Synchronous Compensators the actual cell voltage is typically around 1.8 V.
(STATCOMs).

—
Power supply for a system with several electrolysis stacks;
adapted from Energiepark Mainz

For 100 MW plant only

110 kV

High voltage
transformer
(110/30 kV)

30 kV

Circuit breaker

Balance of plant
power supply
transformer
Power Supply Units
0.4 kV (30/0.4 kV + rectifier)

~400 VDC
-10.000 ADC

Electrolysis stacks

Stack 1 Stack 2 Stack n

 Electrical
Equipment
Transformer Rectifier PLC Low Voltage Distribution Cabinet

O₂

Hydrogen
Production H₂
Equipment
Stack Gas/Liquid Separation Skid Hydrogen Purification Skid

Auxiliary
Units
Alkaline Solution
Compressor Air Unit Cooling Water Unit Deionized Water Unit Nitrogen Purge Unit Preparation/Recovery Unit

Source: Clean Energy Associates

PLC to control the system.
Low voltage distribution cabinet, to protect and
supply energy to BoP Systems (auxiliary units)

The number of cells in today’s Proton Exchange Given that 290 cm² × 1.5 A/cm² = 435 A and
Membrane (PEM) stacks ranges between 30 – 220, 60 cells × 1.8 V/cell = 108 V, the resulting power
each with an active area of up to 1,500 cm². Most would be 435 A × 108 V = 46.9 kW.
PEM electrolysis stacks feature a rectangu-
lar-shaped cell design and operate at temperatures In AEL stacks, the current density is much lower, in
of 55 to 70 °C with current densities roughly varying the range of 0.2 to 0.8 A/cm² and 1.8 V per cell, and
between 1.4 – 2.5 A/cm². the active area is in the range of 10,000 to
30,000 cm².
Therefore, depending on the stack configuration,
PEM stacks could require from 50 V to 400 V and up Here an exemplary performance for a single AEL cell:
to 3,800 A. For instance, a commercial PEM electro-
lyzer, with an active area of 290 cm² and a stack
composed of 60 cells, provides 10 Nm³/h at 46 kWe.

2.50

2.00
Unit Cell Voltage (V)

1.50

1.00

1.50

0.00

0 250 500 750 1000 1250

Current Density (mA/cm²)

Activate area of 200 cm²

at 80 deg. Celsius
Gas Separators Electrolyzers

Compressor Transformers

Gas Holder Rectifiers and

converters

— Scrubbers
Example of 2,425 Nm³/h block
made with 5 × 485 Nm³/h AEL electrolyzers

Here is an example with a commercial AEL system,

capable of delivering hydrogen and oxygen with one
stack. This product has a stack current around
5,000 A, and stack voltage around 450 V DC.

485 Nm³/h – 4.4 kWh/Nm³ – 2.1 MW

An ABB DCS880 Thyristor converter, rated at 5,200

ADC and 500 VDC, could be utilized as a converter.
To protect the converter and input cables, fuses
such as the switch fuse OS are necessary.

Additionally, a network analyzer like M4M is required

to measure consumption. Circuit breakers like the
S800 are needed to provide protection in case of
overload and short circuits.

Manual motor starters, such as the MS132, and con-

tactors like the AF series, are required for the motor
starting of internal fans. Auxiliary relays are also
necessary to manage control signals.

To guard against ground faults, a Type B Residual

Current Device (RCD) is required. Surge Protection
Devices (SPDs) are also necessary to shield against
transient surges.
Different products are available to protect the installation of the converter
or the rectifier.
Some key products are:

Emax 2 switch disconnector F200 B Type

SACE Emax 2 MS/DC-E is the new Air Built to make the difference. The F200
Switch-disconnector at 1,500 V DC, avail- Type B are universal current sensitive re-
able with IEC, UL and CCC approvals with sidual current circuit breakers RCCBs de-
short-time withstand current (lcw) up to signed for industrial applications where
100 kA. there is an increasing use of devices like
frequency converters, and UPS systems.
The RCCB Type B protect faults occurred
System Voltage up to 1,500 V DC due to smooth DC residual currents or currents with low resid-
Current ratings 4,000 A ual ripple which are common in the above applications.

System Voltage up to 440 V AC

OS Manual operated switch fuses Current ratings up to 125 A
World-class performance in demanding
applications. Our OS range includes man-
ual operated switch fuses from 20 to
1,250 Amperes, available for all types of SACE Tmax T
fuses: DIN, BS, NFC, CC, JJ and L types. The SACE Tmax range of switch-discon-
nectors offers an increasingly compre-
hensive, leading-edge solution that an-
System Voltage up to 1,000 V DC ticipates the market trends.
Current ratings up to 20 – 1,250 A range

Switch disconnector for DC side System Voltage up to 1,500 V DC

isolation Current ratings 1,600 A
The S800PV-SD provides isolation pro-
tection up to 125 A and 1,500 V DC with
lcw = 1.5 kA in accordance with IEC Tmax XT Breaker based switch
60947-3 and Annex D. With highly com- disconnectors
pact design for installation on the DIN A based switch-disconnectors allows re-
rail, the S800PV-SD switch disconnector mote trip, remote operations and a full
offers safety relevant isolation properties. offers of accessories.

System Voltage up to 1,500 V DC

Current ratings up to 125 A
System Voltage up to 750 V DC
Current ratings up to 1600 A
S200 M UC range
ABB’s universal current MCB for DC and
AC applications. Surge Protective Devices OVR PV QS
Combined Type 1 and Type 2 SPD can
The S200 M UC range of miniature cir- guarantee an overvoltage reduction to
cuit-breakers features permanent mag- protect end equipment, up to 1,500 V DC.
nets on the internal arcing chutes able to
extinguish an electric arc of up to 500 V
DC with Icu = 4.5 kA, thus ensuring flexible control of both di-
rect and alternating currents. Ideal for industry application be-
cause of the high breaking capacity of 10 kA. System Voltage up to 1,500 V DC

System Voltage up to 500 V DC

Current ratings up to 63 A
In this example, an engineering team has calculated optimization, and ease of maintenance, the plant’s
the design for a hydrogen production plant using Al- layout is duplicated, resulting in two sections, each
kaline Electrolysis (AEL) electrolyzers. producing around 500 MW of power.

In total, there are 416 AEL stacks, each one compris- This redundancy ensures that if one section encoun-
ing 258 cells. The cells are connected in series elec- ters a problem, the other can continue to produce
trically and the fluids run in parallel. hydrogen. Hence, instead of 423 or 422 stacks, it is
more efficient to consider 420 ÷ 2 = 210 or 416 ÷ 2 =
In this case, the cell voltage is 1.75 V, the current 208 stacks per section.
density is 0.175 A/cm², and the active cell area is
29,077 cm². Therefore, the stack voltage is Moreover, the plant is segmented into power blocks,
258 × 1.75 = 452 V, and the stack current is each consisting of a transformer, a rectifier, and a
29,077 × 0.175 = 5,088 A, which gives a stack power certain number of stacks in parallel. This arrange-
of 5,088 × 452 = 2.3 MW. ment reduces the capital expenditure (CAPEX). The
design includes either 26 or 30 power blocks, each
The goal is to develop a plant of 1 GW, or close to with 16 or 14 stacks, respectively.
that value, with an optimized layout. Given a security
factor of 20% (considering voltage variations due to With this configuration, we have 2 × 13 groups of
the grid and the min-max voltage of cells during 16 stacks, totaling 416 stacks, or 2 × 15 groups of
lifespan), the High Voltage (HV) Transformer could 14 stacks, totaling 420 stacks. A group of 16 stacks
be 230 kV. requires a transformer and rectifier capable of sup-
plying 452 V and 16 × 5,088 A = 81,408 A, while a
So, 230 ÷ 1.2 = 191.6 kV, and 191.6 kV ÷ 452 V = 423, group of 14 stacks necessitates a transformer and
which represents the maximum number of stacks. rectifier capable of supplying 452 V and
Hence, 2.3 MW × 423 stacks = 973 MW, providing the 14 × 5,088 A = 71,232 A.
total power output of the plant.
This solution could optimize the plant’s operation
Additionally, the plant includes various auxiliary more effectively, compared to having a transformer
voltages. For reasons of security, resiliency, and rectifier for each stack.

—
Major stack specifications summary:
Alkaline Electrolyzer PEM Electrolyzer
Parameter Current KPI Future KPI Future KPI Future KPI
Plant size (MW, DC basis) 957 960 960 960
Stack size (MW) 2.3 10 2.5 10
# of stacks 416 96 384 96
Cell voltage (V) 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75
Current density (A/cm²) 0.175 0.75 1.50 2.50
# of cells 258 258 258 258
Stack voltage (VDC) 452 452 452 452
Stack Current (A) 5,088 22,124 5,531 22,124
Cell active area (cm²) 29,077 29,499 3,687 8,850
Actual cell area (cm²) 34,208 34,704 4,852 11,644
Operating Pressure (barg) 0.02 0.06 30 30
Stack production volume (GW/year) 1 1 1 1
Purity (%) 99.99 99.99 99.99 99.99
Oxygen limit <5 ppm <5 ppm <5 ppm <5 ppm
Moisture content −65 °C dew point −65 °C dew point −65 °C dew point −65 °C dew point
—
Current Alkaline: 1 GW Alkaline (2.3 MW stack), 2 sets of BOP, simplified layout

Vents to atmosphere
Valve Valve Valve
Gas/Liquid Outside facility
Rectifier Separator
Transformer O₂ Vent
Power x28
Transformer Valve
66 KV AC
230 KV AC /
66 KV AC Valve Water filtration

16 stacks
Valve Filter Transport
Group 1

Rectifier
Dry cooling/ Tap water
452 VDC cooling tower Circulation
pump
Lye tank Water
16 stacks treatment
Group 2
H₂ buffer
Gas/Liquid Lye tank
Rectifier Valve Separator Circulation scrubber Valve Valve H₂ Vent
452 VDC pump Compressor
H₂
230 kV 3 phase

Valve
Deoxo Valve
Valve
16 stacks

Group 25
Dryer

Rectifier
H₂ Storage &
452 VDC Transport
16 stacks

Set 1 BOP for stack group 1-13 Filter

Group 26
Set 2 BOP for stack group 14-26
Rectifier
452 VDC

Rectifier

24 VDC

110 VAC
380 VAC

Auxiliary
Power

—
Current Alkaline: 1 GW Plant Layout

KOH KOH
Gas / liquid separation Gas / liquid separation Scrubber Scrubber DE-oxo TSA Driver TSA Driver

Compressor DI Water

Indoor

AEL stacks

Rectifiers

Transformers

Indoor 230 KV Substation

Indoor
System Control &
Offices
 LV protections In a 100 MW electrolyzer plant, the power consump-
tion for different systems is as follows:
Protection for low voltage components is primarily
needed in the rectifier (on both the AC and DC • Circulation pumps consume 98 kW of power,
sides), the compressor, the cooling system, the • The process cooling system consumes 892 kW
heaters, and the water purification system. It’s also of power,
necessary for all motor starters required for the sys- • The gas purification system consumes 207 kW
tem’s pumps. of power,
• The compression system consumes 2,600 kW of
Typical voltage levels within the plant include power (considering four four-stage reciprocating
24 VDC, 110 VAC, 240 VAC, and 380 VAC. Depending compressors, each using 650 kW).
on the plant design and stack configuration, the rec-
tifier might be designed for 400 VDC or even for
voltages in the thousands.

Utility 1

Emax 2

Tmax XT
Molded
Case Circuit
Breaker

Tmax s800

AF
Contractors

OS switch
EQmatic Tmax fuse unit Tmax XT2
Ekim M Touch LRIU

Emax 2
Air Circuit
Breaker

AF Contactors AF Contactors Ekip CI module

PSTX Soft Interface

Starter PSTX Softstarter PSTX Softstarter to the contactors AF Contactors

Pump or
Pump compressor Pump
Manual
Operated
Switch Fuses
 Measuring & monitoring Moreover, it’s vital to relay other key measurements
to the control system, such as water consumption,
Measuring voltage and current is crucial, particularly energy use, and the status of various devices,
for monitoring the degradation of the stack and/or among others.
individual cells.

System Pro API

M Compact®
InSite

M4M
Network ABB Ability™ ABB Ability™ 3rd Party System
Analyzer Energy Manager Edge Industrial
ABB Ability™ Gateway
Asset Manager

ABB EQmatic
Energy
Analyzer

InSite webserver System Pro M BMS/SCADA

Compact InSite

(Max 16) (Max 96)

ABB Ability™
Energy
Manager

>160A: M4M Energy meter <160A: CMS current sensors compa- EQmatic(1)
analyzer with stan- tible with any MCB (ABB or 3rd party)
dard CTs compati-
ble with any load
S200
Miniature
Circuit
Breaker
3rd Party Devices

Meters Breakers’ Digital env. Batteries, DO/DI MCBs Control dev.

ABB Energy Switches sensors PV,
Inverters DM10, DM11, DM00 I/O modules for:
Meter
- info on system status (MCCBs, MCBs...)
- control devices

Insite Bus - Plug & play flat cable (max 96 channels between sensors and I/O channels

Modbus TCP-IP-RJ 45 connectors

ABB Ability™ Modbus RTU - RS485 cable

Edge
9AKK108468A6883 Rev.B - Oct 2023

Industrial (1) Connect 3rd Party devices for water

Gateway or gas measurement, and view on
in-site webserver

ABB Ability™
Asset
Manager