DELYCIOUS: Diagnostic tools for ELectrolYsers: Cost-efficient, Innovative, Open, Universal and Safe

The Net Zero Industry Act reckons the production of low-carbon hydrogen (H2) to be a strategic industry. Water electrolysis using renewable energy sources (RES) is a promising way to produce low-carbon H2. To allow the large-scale deployment of electrolysis technologies, monitoring the status of health of the electrolyser to opt for optimal operating conditions for the extension of their lifetime under fluctuating RES, and thus the reduction of the cost of ownership, is still a challenge. The DELYCIOUS project will develop monitoring and diagnostic tools for electrolysers that are cost-efficient, innovative, open, universal, and safe, leveraging:

• A unique combination of techniques to probe chemical and electrochemical properties (Raman and Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopies) and modelling approaches (physical and data-driven modelling) to access degradation parameters.
• An interoperability prerogative thanks to validation of the functionality and resilience of DELYCIOUS on low and high temperature domains of technologies using three electrolysis technologies (AEL, PEMEL, SOEL).
• A strong European consortium combining expertise in the development of hardware sensors (Horiba, SIVONIC) and algorithms (Air Liquide, UT), and their eventual integration into the Electrolyser Management System software platform (Dumarey).

The hardware and algorithms will be validated on a laboratory scale during test campaigns of AEL (Stargate), SOEL (UT), and PEMEL (Air Liquide). Since AEL electrolysers will play a major role in large-scale low-carbon H2 production plants, we will provide a TRL6 demonstration of diagnostic and monitoring tools for AEL >100kW (Fraunhofer IWES). A techno-economic analysis is carried out to outline a commercialisation and exploitation roadmap, in line with the needs and expertise of our consortium and advisory board partners. It is expected that 5.9GW of water electrolysers capacity installed in EU by 2035 will be using our technology.