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Title of the Modular 120 (4x30) Nm3/hr Hydrogen production capacity Alkaline Water
technology Electrolyzer Plant

Current State of Technology –

 Basic principles observed

 Technology concept formulated
 Experimental proof of concept done in Lab
 Technology validated in lab
 Technology validated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key
enabling technologies)
 Technology demonstrated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of
key enabling technologies)
 System prototype demonstration in operational environment System complete and qualified

General Information

Green Hydrogen is one of the most talked about subject today in the context of global warming and
reduction of carbon footprint. Performance of alkaline water electrolysis for splitting of water has been
proven at industrial scale. Though Electrolyser plants are available in the market, the cell module
technology, which is the heart of the system, is not locally available. BARC has successfully developed a
complete plant including the cell module and deployed it in industrial installations.

DC power, which can be provided by any standard rectifier, is the basic requirement for the operation of
the plant. Raw material required is ~30% KOH solution with demineralised water as feed makeup. Initially,
the system needs to be purged with nitrogen for displacing the air inside and insitu pressure balancing.
Thereafter electrolyte circulation through cell module is started and DC current is passed through the
module. Hydrogen and Oxygen are produced in the Cathode and Anode compartments respectively. These
gases are conditioned in the downstream process equipment, before use.

Current plant is having 10 Nm3/hr Hydrogen production capacity and extensive trials have been done on
the system. All the operating parameters are optimized and safety systems are in place. Already
technology has been transferred to three vendors, and it is also available for further transfer to other
parties. Additional feature of the plant is, it produces high purity oxygen also simultaneously, which is
readily available to the user.

Features/Specification of System

ElectrolyserParameters For Existing System For Target System

Module Power rating 50 kW 600 kW (150 kW x 4)
Hydrogen Production rate 10 Nm3/hr 120 Nm3/hr
Hydrogen Gas purity ~99.9 % (Dry basis) ~99.9 % (Dry basis)
Hydrogen Temperature < 25°C < 25°C
System Pressure 0.5 bar (g) 0.5 bar (g)

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Working Principle of the System

The main component of the system is electrolyzer cell module for splitting water to produce hydrogen and
oxygen. In addition to cell module the system has balance of the plant for gas separation, purification and
conditioning. Balance of the plant has two identical systems for Hydrogen as well as Oxygen streams,
which include bubble coalescers, Gas separators for separation of electrolyte and gas streams, Equalizing
tanks for pressure balancing, catalytic recombiners for impurity removal and surge tanks for buffer holdup
and temperature control. In addition, the system requires Rectifier for DC current supply and services like
cooling water for temperature control, power supply and Nitrogen for purging. Electrolyte is Alkaline water
and makeup Demineralised water is require as feed. Different parameters such as temperature, pressure
and hydrogen gas purity is monitored continuously. Adequate safety alarms and interlocks are also
provided, through control system.

O2 H2

Gas cooler Gas cooler

(O2) (H2)

Catalytic Catalytic
Recombiner (O2) Recombiner (H2)

Alkali Gas Separator Gas Separator

(O2) (H2) Alkali
Scrubber (O2)
Scrubber (H2)

Cell module

DM water
Pump

Figure: Schematic of process system

Application Areas
The system will be useful for green hydrogen production for use as fuel/fuel blend in H-CNG,
hydrogenation & reduction processes, De-Hydro-Desulfurization of petroleum fractions, Ammonia
production or in refineries/steel/fertilizer/glass industries as raw material.

Picture/Photo of the System

Electrolyzer Cell module Stacks

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 Process skid Gas purification System

Whether the parent product/ technology/ process is patented: No

If Yes, Provide the details: Not Applicable

Deliverables -
Conceptual design and Engineering of Hydrogen production plant using Alkaline water electrolysis with
following major components:

 Compact filter press type bi-polar plate electrolyser cell modules

 Balance of the process plant components for pressure, temperature and composition control
 Rectifier for DC power supply
 Control and instrumentation system
 Services requirements like cooling water, Demineralized water, Industrial Nitrogen

Justification for Incubation –

Subsequent to the launch of National Hydrogen Mission by Government of India, there is a huge demand
for production of green hydrogen across various sectors in India. Moreover, there is a thrust to utilise and
deploy indigenous hydrogen generation technologies under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat
programmes. Water electrolysis is presently a mature and commercially available technology which is
ready to be deployed for green hydrogen production. In the recently held UN climate change conference
COP 26 (Conference Of the Parties), India has committed net zero emissions by 2070. To achieve this target
and address the global warming and climate change issues, greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil
fuel based energy sources need to be reduced. Thus, large scale deployment of green hydrogen generation
technologies is required to substitute grey/black/brown hydrogen and thereby decarbonise various sectors
like transportation, fertiliser, steel, glass, refineries, etc. BARC has indigenously developed Alkaline Water
Electrolyser technology with Hydrogen production capacity up to 10 Nm 3/hr (50 kW) and there is a need to
scale up the existing alkaline water electrolyser technology to meet the huge demands of the industries.

The incubation of technology through industrial partnership will scale up the capacity of the technology
thereby making it viable for mid-scale industrial applications and competitive on a national and

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international level in terms of electrolyser scale and cost effectiveness. To achieve indigenization goal of
green hydrogen technology, Industrial partnership, through incubation is justified.

Facility and Infrastructure requirements (To be provided by Incubatee)

Manpower/ expertise
Expertise for detailed engineering, cost management and fabrication of precision components with
stringent quality control. Availability of multi disciplinary engineers, skilled welders, fitters and technicians.
Machinery and Equipment
 CNC machines for component fabrication with narrow tolerance
 Spray coating, roller press, drying oven and sintering furnace for Porous metal sheet fabrication
with good surface finish
 Welding, Rolling and other conventional machining facility
Others
 Availability of inorganic/organic polymer based diaphragm/separator
 Availability of licensed software, in-house facilities for system integration, PLC configuration and
testing, raw material and finished equipment inspection.
Any special requirements for plant, industry, location utilities, handling storage, safety etc.
 High temperature Hydrogen furnace for sintering
 Radiography and leak testing facility
 Prior knowledge/expertise in equipment for handling hydrogen
Note: As per in-house technology incubation policy, the incubatee should be a licensee of the existing
technology. Alternatively, the applicant will be required to take the license of the existing technology
before entering incubation agreement.
If interested in Incubation, kindly download -> fill -> scan -> send/ Email the application form to -

Convener
Task Force, Incubation Centre - BARC
Knowledge Management Group
Training School Complex
Anushakti Nagar
Mumbai - 400094.

Email: incubation@barc.gov.in

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