Effects of bolt torque and contact resistance on the performance of the polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers

• Three gasket materials; silicon, EPDM and PTFE were studied.
• Increasing the clamping pressure decreases the contact resistance.
• Pressure on the active area were obtained as 3D plots.
• Highest efficiency was obtained for each gasket materials.
• For contact resistance measurements, both an autograph and bolt torque were used.

The effect of bolt torque and contact resistance on the performance of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolyzers are investigated by a 50 cm2 cell. The cell is designed and manufactured in house. The performance and contact resistance of the cell with three different gasket materials for demanding bolt torques are measured. The pressure distribution inside the cell is obtained by using pressure sensitive films. The pressure acting on the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is calculated by analyzing and quantifying intensities of pressure film images. 3D plots of pressure distribution for predefined bolt torque values are obtained to understand the pressure distribution over the active area. The performance of the cell is enhanced when bolt torque is increased. However, beyond a value, relatively weak cell components such as diffusion layers are damaged and performance loss is observed due to the mass transfer limitations. The best efficiency is reached at 15 Nm bolt torque for Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) gaskets. For silicon gasket best efficiency is reached at 15 Nm at lower current densities and at 10 Nm at higher current densities. Increasing clamping pressure is found to be developing more contact points between the interfaces and results in decrease in contact resistance inside the cell.