Contribution to the modelling of reversible electrolyser and hydrogen fuel cell for coupling to the photovoltaic generators

A response to concerns raised by an energy mix which mainly consists of exhaustible fossil fuels harmful to the environment is to gradually substitute them by renewable energy sources, including solar or wind power. However, these intermittent flow energies set a recovery problem. They are often the source of electricity which inherits their fluctuations, which requires a transport network and which is an energy carrier not easy to store. In this context hydrogen synthesized from this renewable electricity, storing, it is considered as a stock carrier promising for the future. Various components and electrochemical processes are associated with this perspective: electrolysers, fuel cells, associations of these two functions combined in the system or integrated into a unitised reversible component. Our work is set in this perspective. It contributed to the development of advanced models of electrochemical components of electrolyser or fuel cells type, integrating reversibility for the study of their coupling to the photovoltaic generators. The models developed following a unified energetic approach use bond graph representation. After an analysis of the energy context, a state of the art of electrochemical components coupling hydrogen and electricity is presented, particularly on electrolysers and regenerative or unitised reversible fuel cells. Then, after a reminder of the principles of the Bond Graph representation, we exploit this formalism to develop an energetic model of a reversible component 'electrolyser and / or fuel cell' representative at macroscopic level of conversion reaction and dissipation phenomena, coupled in chemical, thermodynamic, electrical, thermal and fluid fields. Tests for characterization and validation conducted on small experimental devices are then described. They can illustrate the influence of operating parameters on the performance of these components. Finally, the Bond Graph model is used to study the modularity of components, including electrical and thermal imbalances in series or parallel associations of fuel cells or electrolysers. An architecture combining these elements with a photovoltaic generator to power an electric load or an electrical grid is finally submitted. (author)