Thomas Benjamin Ferriday has followed the PhD Programme at Faculty of Engineering and Science, specialisation in Renewable Energy.
- Trial lecture starts at 10.15
- Public defence starts at 12.15
Title of trial lecture: Durability evaluation of water electrolyzer components
Assessment committee:
- First Opponent: Professor Mohamed Mamlouk, Newcastle University, UK
- Second Opponent: Professor Frode Seland, NTNU, Norway
- Chair of the assessment committee: Associate Professor Johannes Landesfeind, UiA, Norway
Supervisors in the doctoral work:
- Main supervisor: Professor Hugh Middleton, UiA
- Co-supervisor: Professor Mohan Lal Kolhe, UiA
- Co-supervisor: Professor Jan Van Herle, EPFL, Switzerland
Summary of thesis
The green energy shift has placed a great emphasis on alternative energy sources such as wind and photovoltaics, however, our energy needs rarely comply with the weather forecast predicting wind and sun. This implies a dire need for energy storage to correct the imbalance between energy supply and demand. Energy can easily be stored in hydrogen gas by utilising surplus energy to drive water electrolysers which split water into its two constituent elements, namely oxygen and hydrogen. The water electrolyser produces high-quality gases which have many applications in process industry, where they can also be converted back into energy through using fuel cells.
Hydrogen as an energy carrier has great potential, though further improvements are necessary for the water electrolyser to be able to compete with established technologies such as steam reforming when it comes to producing hydrogen gas. The work in this thesis includes several methods to level the playing field by increasing the efficiency of the water electrolyser with respect to energy and cost.
Several established water electrolyser technologies require expensive elements such as platinum to facilitate the electrochemical reactions, though new membrane technology has enabled the use of comparatively abundant materials such as stainless steel and nickel for the same purpose. This thesis has explored several cost-effective and scalable methods to enhance the efficiency of these materials, and most importantly, to comprehend the physical chemistry which explains the changes in performance. Understanding which mechanisms govern the changes in performance is crucial to optimise efficiency and to prolong lifetime. These optimised materials can significantly improve the cost- and energy-efficiency of water electrolysers, and thereby contribute to the green energy shift.
What to do as an online audience member
The disputation is open to the public. To follow the trial lecture and the public defence online, register on Zoom.
We ask online audience members to join no earlier than 10 minutes in advance. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time.
Opponent ex auditorio:
Deadline for the public to pose questions is during the break between the two opponents. Questions ex auditorio can be submitted to Emma Horneman.
Contact person
- emma.e.horneman@uia.no
- Phone
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