FEV supports electrolyzer developers, component suppliers, and system manufacturers with comprehensive testing and validation capabilities, from electrochemical characterization at MEA and cell level to stack, component, and complete system testing.
Electrolyzer performance is determined by the interaction of materials, electrochemical components, stack design, balance-of-plant, controls, and operating strategy.
Detailed electrochemical characterization enables developers to understand performance and degradation at their origin.
Typical testing activities include:
Electrolyzer performance depends strongly on the interaction between the stack and its surrounding subsystems. FEV provides modular test environments for the characterization and validation of balance-of-plant, balance-of-system, and individual components.
Testing can address:
At system level, electrochemical performance interacts with auxiliaries, controls, power electronics, thermal management, water treatment, gas processing, and operating strategy. FEV supports integrated system testing from functional validation to application-oriented operation.
System testing can include:
A polarization curve provides an important measure of overall performance. Understanding why performance changes requires deeper diagnostic information.
Long-term and accelerated testing enables performance evolution to be evaluated over time.
Testing strategies can include:
Measure performance. Identify changes. Understand their origin.
Initial electrochemical and operational characterization establishes the reference state.
The cell, stack, component, or system is operated under defined steady-state, cyclic, dynamic, or accelerated conditions.
Performance measurements, EIS, and complementary diagnostics track changes during operation.
Changes in electrochemical and operational behavior are evaluated to identify dominant trends and potential root causes.
Insights are translated into component, operating strategy, control, or system design recommendations.
Future electrolyzer applications increasingly require flexible interaction with renewable generation, electricity markets, industrial processes, and energy systems.
Application-specific testing can therefore reproduce representative operating conditions such as:
This allows the interaction between performance, efficiency, flexibility, and durability to be investigated under representative operating conditions.
FEV combines testing with electrochemistry, simulation, controls, system engineering, and data analytics.
Development of targeted testing programs based on technical objectives, critical parameters, and development maturity.
Automated test sequences and structured data acquisition enable repeatable characterization and efficient long-term testing.
High-resolution measurement data is evaluated to identify performance trends, correlations, anomalies, and degradation signatures.
Experimental data can provide the basis for empirical, physics-based, or physics-empirical degradation models.
Electrochemical diagnostics and system data can be combined to investigate potential origins of performance losses or abnormal behavior.
Testing results can be translated into recommendations for materials, components, stack architecture, system design, operating strategies, and controls.
Characterize new materials, concepts, and technologies.
Assess and validate cell and stack performance, durability, scalability, and consistency.
Characterize BoP and BoS components under representative conditions.
Assess integrated performance, controls, efficiency, and operational behavior.
Test representative operating profiles and real-world duty cycles.
Translate validated data into robust product and system improvements.
FEV combines electrochemical testing capabilities with mechanical, electrical, controls, simulation, and system engineering expertise.
This multidisciplinary approach enables us to evaluate electrolyzers as integrated technical systems rather than isolated components.
Whether developing a new electrolysis technology, optimizing an existing cell or stack, validating balance-of-plant components, or testing a complete electrolyzer system, the objective remains the same.
FEV testing activities include all relevant electrolyzer technologies, i.e. PEM, AEM, AEL and SOEC. Additional technology-specific testing capabilities should be defined depending on the required component, operating conditions, temperature level, and test infrastructure.
Testing can range from MEAs, single cells, and short stacks to balance-of-plant components, subsystems, and integrated electrolyzer systems. The appropriate test level depends on the development objective and technology maturity.
Yes. EIS can complement conventional current-voltage characterization and provide additional information on electrochemical and transport-related processes. Interpretation can be combined with HFR evaluation and, where applicable, advanced approaches such as Distribution of Relaxation Times.
Application-specific load profiles can be implemented to investigate electrolyzer behavior under dynamic operating conditions representative of renewable power supply, intermittent operation, or customer-specific duty cycles.
Yes. Testing programs can be developed around individual objectives such as performance benchmarking, component selection, operating-window optimization, durability assessment, degradation investigation, or control validation.
Testing data can be combined with electrochemical diagnostics, operating data, and engineering analysis to investigate potential causes of performance degradation. Depending on the issue, additional component or material analysis may be required.
Yes. Structured experimental data can support model parameterization, calibration, and validation. This can include performance models as well as empirical, physics-based, or physics-empirical degradation approaches.
The intended value proposition extends beyond measurement. Testing results can be linked with FEV’s component, stack, controls, simulation, and system engineering activities to derive potential optimization measures for product design and operation.
A testing project would typically begin by defining the development objective, test article, operating envelope, relevant KPIs, measurement requirements, test matrix, and acceptance criteria. Based on these inputs, an appropriate test and evaluation methodology can be developed.
Explore how degradation models can support lifetime assessment, material selection, cell design, testing, or operating-strategy development.
