Techno-Economic Analysis of Design and Transport Parameters in PEMWEs
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Results in Engineering, 2026, 30, pp. 111273
- Issue Date:
- 2026-06
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Green hydrogen has emerged as a promising pathway toward decarbonization of future energy systems, with proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) attracting increasing attention due to their high efficiency, compact design, and compatibility with renewable energy sources. This study extends prior multi-physics investigations of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) by translating performance-driven design insights into techno-economic implications for green hydrogen production. Building upon previously developed numerical models that examined the effects of membrane thickness, membrane conductivity, and operating temperature, as well as porosity distributions within porous transport layers and the influence of gas crossover under varying outlet pressures, the present work establishes a direct link between electrochemical behaviour and hydrogen production cost. Simulation-derived polarization characteristics are integrated into a simplified techno-economic framework to quantify variations in energy consummption, hydrogen yield, and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) under different design and operational configurations. Unlike conventional assessments relying on assumed efficiencies or generic performance data, this study employs physics-based simulation outputs as the primary input for economic evaluation, enabling a more faithful representation of design-dependent cost behaviour. The proposed framework further enables direct assessment of how membrane properties, transport characteristics, and structural configurations influence techno-economic performance. The results reveal how subtle changes in transport and structural parameters propagate into measurable economic consequences, highlighting critical trade-offs between efficiency enhancement and cost escalation. Specifically, the investigated design and transport variations resulted in specific energy consumption values ranging from ∼35–55 kWh kg⁻¹ H₂, stack electrical efficiencies of ∼0.5–0.9, and LCOH values of ∼2.3–5 USD kg⁻¹ H₂, demonstrating that relatively small transport-induced performance changes can propagate into measurable economic consequences, particularly at moderate-to-high operating current densities. The findings provide design-oriented economic insights that support informed decision-making for cost-sensitive optimization of PEMWE systems, bridging the gap between electrochemical modelling and real-world deployment considerations.
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