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POWER


FEATURE


Etching a nEw futurE for hydrogEn ElEctrolysErs A


s the world adapts to powering its vehicles, towns and cities with zero-carbon energy, the demand to upscale new technologies is


gathering pace. Karl Hollis, Precision Micro’s director of engineering, looks at how bipolar plates, a key component used in electrolysers, could be made faster and more cost-effectively using photochemical etching technology.


What are eleCtrolysers? Electrolysers use electrical energy from wind, solar or hydroelectric sources to break water into hydrogen and oxygen. The green hydrogen produced can be used to power anything from buses and cars to generators, heating systems and machinery. Bipolar plates feature precise, complex


channels that distribute water evenly in the electrolyser stack. They are used to cool the electrolyser, supplying reactant gases to the anodic sides, and evacuating the hydrogen and gases produced during the reaction. Though bipolar plates are important


electrolyser components they are one of the most expensive, often costing up to 60% of


produce. By comparison, chemical etching uses digital tooling which is inexpensive and offers greater flexibility to optimise designs. Bipolar plates are prone to distortion and


surface roughness during conventional machining. As such, more complex designs can be challenging. Etching prints the design directly onto the material, offering almost unlimited part complexity. Also, each plate is 100% burr and stress-free. This versatility enables designers to vary the size and shape of channels without additional cost and with accuracy to ±0.020mm.


the stack cost. Chemical etching provides a viable manufacturing alternative for engineers looking to reduce this cost.


ChemiCal etChing versus traditional maChining Chemical etching uses etchants to create complex fluidic components such as bipolar plates and can offer huge advantages over traditional stamping and hydroforming. The tooling used for stamping and


hydroforming can be slow and uneconomical to


ChemiCal etChing: a viable alternative Hundreds of research papers explore the efficiency, quality and financial limitations of producing metallic bipolar plates. Many don’t consider chemical etching, a process that allows for complex, higher-performance bipolar plates in shorter lead times than conventional machining.


Precision Micro www.precisionmicro.com


SEPTEMBER 2022 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 13


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