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Enhancing gas-liquid distribution uniformity in alkaline water electrolyzers by an innovative inlet array structure, a numerical study

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Listed:
  • Gu, Haochen
  • Wu, Qingquan
  • Zhang, Mingming
  • Xu, Xinhai
  • Yu, Jun
  • Bai, Yang
  • Wang, Yifei

Abstract

Alkaline water electrolyzer (AWE) is regarded as a key pathway for large-scale green hydrogen production, but its industrialization process remains constrained by the persistently high energy consumption level. Restructuring the bipolar plate flow channel design to enhance the mass transfer efficiency can effectively suppress local polarization loss, emerging as a core technological approach to overcome the existing energy efficiency bottleneck. This study develops a three-dimensional, two-phase flow model for the classic AWE concave-convex channel, and introduced an innovative inlet array structure to enhance its gas-liquid distribution uniformity. Simulation results indicate that the inlet array structure exhibits consistently positive effect on mass transfer from low to high operation current densities, which is more significant at lower current densities. Additionally, the inlet array structure has been comprehensively optimized in terms of deflection column pattern, number, shape and size to achieve the best performance. Finally, the applicability of this inlet array structure to industrial-scale AWEs has also been verified successfully.

Suggested Citation

  • Gu, Haochen & Wu, Qingquan & Zhang, Mingming & Xu, Xinhai & Yu, Jun & Bai, Yang & Wang, Yifei, 2026. "Enhancing gas-liquid distribution uniformity in alkaline water electrolyzers by an innovative inlet array structure, a numerical study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PF).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pf:s0960148125020713
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124407
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    References listed on IDEAS

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