Optimized multiphysics model for a Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer

Hydrogen production through proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is gaining traction due to its efficiency and sustainability. This work presents a comprehensive and experimentally validated multiphysics model integrating electrochemical, thermal, and fluidic dynamics to improve PEMWE performance predictions. The model accounts for key voltage losses and incorporates pressure and temperature effects through a coupled thermo fluidic submodel regulated by a PI controller. A set of polarization curves collected under different thermal and pressure conditions was used to calibrate the electrical submodel, allowing the identification of temperature and pressure dependent parameters that quantify the impact of operating conditions on overpotentials. The electrical behavior is accurately captured using advanced parameter optimization techniques, including PSO, GA, and L-BFGS-B, with L-BFGS-B outperforming the others in terms of convergence speed and fitting precision, resulting in modeling errors below 1%. The model’s performance is validated experimentally on 1kW and 5.5kW PEMWEs, demonstrating its robustness, scalability, and accuracy. This work contributes to the optimization of PEMWE systems, offering a validated framework for real applications and future integration with renewable energy sources and advanced control strategies.