Researchers in the US have developed a three-dimensional (3D) computer model that could make green hydrogen production far more efficient, by revealing how bubbles waste energy during water electrolysis.

The computational tool was created by scientists at New York’s Cornell University and their colleagues at City University of Hong Kong. It reveals how tiny bubbles, formed during water electrolysis, can disrupt hydrogen production, and increase electricity consumption.

At the same time, the team identified a critical bubble size beyond which energy losses rise. Their simulations suggest that keeping bubbles below this threshold could limit the additional voltage required due to an individual bubble to within three percent.

The 3D model also uses a computational method that reduces the effort needed to run simulations by approximately 1,000 times, without actually compromising numerical accuracy. The scientists hope the findings could make green hydrogen much cheaper to produce.

Green hydrogen is a clean energy fuel made by splitting water (H2) into hydrogen and oxygen through water electrolysis powered entirely by renewable sources like solar or wind energy. It emits zero carbon dioxide (CO2) during production, which means it could provide a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels in industries including steelmaking and chemical manufacturing.

However, the hydrogen and oxygen bubbles that form during the process pose a significant challenge. As electricity passes through an electrolyzer, these bubbles develop on the electrodes where chemical reactions take place.

They can, therefore, block the active reaction sites, keep water from reaching the electrode surfaces, or interfere with the movement of the charged particles.

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