Research Fields: Process Engineering, Material Science, Electrochemistry.

Green hydrogen is a gas produced by splitting water using renewable electricity (e.g. coming from solar PV or wind farms). This gas is a crucial chemical feedstock and energy vector to drive the transition into a more sustainable and environmentally friendly society and industry.

Green hydrogen production

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) technology can produce green hydrogen at the scale required towards decarbonizing the hard-to-abate socio-economic sectors such as transportation and the chemical industry. However, the capital costs associated to PEMWE are currently too high for green hydrogen to be competitive. A large part of these costs is associated with the materials and manufacturing of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is the core of the PEMWE.

This internship aims to understand all the steps involved in the manufacturing and assembly process, including equipment needed, costs associated and labor requirements. This exercise is crucial to define what the current cost of MEA manufacturing is and how the cost is distributed along the manufacturing steps. Furthermore, the cost breakdown will help us to pinpoint the crucial steps to reduce costs, increase throughput rates, and scope the steps in which high tech manufacturing  can be implemented.

Research questions

• What is the step-by-step process needed to manufacture a MEA for a PEM electrolysis?

• What is the capital costs of commercial MEA manufacturing processes?

• What is the duration of each manufacturing step?

• What is the current requirement of man-hours?

• What are the cost components in each step?

What will you be responsible for:

• Find information on the commercial MEA manufacturing processes.

• Interviews experts from the industry for additional information on MEA manufacturing.

• Participate in group meetings to discuss results/drawbacks with the team.

• Write final report of the project.

• Present the outcome results of the project.

Who are we looking for:

Our ideal candidate is someone who:

• has Mechanical, Process Engineering background or a similar, resident in the Netherlands.

• is looking for a project of 6-10 months.

• is eager to learn about thin film manufacturing, electrochemistry, electrocatalysis.

• is proactive.

• can work both independently and as part of a team.

• has good communications skills in English.

Are you already triggered by the project and would you like to help us in advancing the manufacturing of electrochemical devices for energy applications or would like more information? Please reach out us.

Contact information:

Julio Garcia Navarro (julio.garcianavarro@tno.nl)

Oscar Diaz-Morales (oscar.diazmorales@tno.nl).