Real-Time Emulation of Reversible Solid Oxide Electrolyzer’s Electrical Behavior for Rapid-Prototyping of Power Electronics

Hydrogen production is predicted to increase, and a promising solution for energy-efficient hydrogen electrolysis is reversible solid oxide cell stacks. Given the complexity and costliness of reversible solid oxide electrolysis cell stacks, this study develops a novel emulator capable of replicating their electrical behavior. By doing so, the study aims to enhance accessibility for rapid prototyping of power electronic systems. In this paper, initially, three different techniques for real-time emulation of the electrical dynamics for a reversible solid oxide electrolysis cell stack are investigated and evaluated for rapid prototyping of power electronic converter systems. An analog circuit approach is chosen as the most suitable for real-time emulation based on a multiple-criteria decision analysis. An equivalent circuit model is utilized for the analog circuit approach, following the indications of previous work using electrochemical spectroscopy data for parameterization. Furthermore, experiments were conducted to compare the electrical dynamics of the developed emulator to a mathematically validated model of a commercial reversible solid oxide electrolyzer cell stack in static, dynamic, and cyclic operation. Finally, the emulator’s effectiveness as a tool for rapid prototyping of the interfacing power electronic system is conclusively demonstrated in a case study. Specifically, the emulator is utilized to successfully prototype a bidirectional Buck-Boost converter and its accompanying control system for cyclic operation.