The Optimization of a Physical Factor of Hydrogen Production in Alkaline Water Electrolysis

Abstract

Hydrogen fuel is an alternative to petroleum fuel as the world is changing to a zero-carbon fuel source. However, hydrogen production requires high costs and a relatively complex system. There are numerous methods available in the industry to produce hydrogen by water splitting, but alkaline water electrolysis is one of the cheapest ways of producing hydrogen gas since it only requires water, electrodes, a voltage supply, a conducting wire, some electrolytes, and a container. Besides that, water electrolysis is among the most effective ways of generating hydrogen since it utilizes renewable water and generates only pure oxygen as a by-product, indicating that it is an ecologically beneficial way of generating hydrogen gas. The water was split into hydrogen and oxygen gases by using electricity during the electrolysis process and the hydrogen gas will be produced in the cathode. The distance between the electrodes, the voltage supply, and the presence of an external magnetic field were the three parameters studied for the purpose of this study. The highest volume of hydrogen gas produced was at optimum parameters of 10 cm electrode distance, 20 V of the voltage supply, and 0.08 µT of external magnetic field strength. Although the electrolysis process accounts for a small portion of hydrogen production using the current method, researchers believe that if existing techniques are improved with appropriate materials and substances, this process will significantly benefit the community.