Analytical modelling and experimental validation of proton exchange membrane electrolyser for hydrogen production F.Z. Aouali a,* , M. Becherif b , H.S. Ramadan b,c , M. Emziane d , A. Khellaf e , K. Mohammedi a a LEMI Laboratory, Boumerdes University, 35000, Algeria b FEMTO-ST UMR CNRS 6174, FCLab FR CNRS 3539, UTBM, 90010 Belfort cedex, France c Zagazig University, Faculty of Engineering, Electrical Power and Machines Dept., 44519, Zagazig, Egypt d Solar Energy Materials & Devices Lab., Masdar Institute of Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates e CDER, route de l'Observatoire, Bouzareah, 16340, Algiers, Algeria article info Article history: Received 27 February 2016 Accepted 17 March 2016 Available online xxx Keywords: Hydrogen production Proton exchange membrane Water electrolysis abstract Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolysers (ELSs) are considered as pollution-free with enhanced efficiency technology. Hydrogen can be easily produced from different resources like biomass, water electrolysis, natural gas, propane, and methanol. Hydrogen generation from water electrolysis, which is the splitting of water molecules into hydrogen and oxy- gen using electricity, can be beneficial when used in combination with variable Renewable Energy (RE) technologies such as solar and wind. When the electricity used for water electrolysis is produced by a variable RE source, the hydrogen stores the unused energy for a later use and can be considered as a renewable fuel and energy resource for the transport and energy sectors. This paper aims to propose a novel graphical model design for the PEM-ELS for hydrogen production based on the electrochemical, thermodynamical and thermal equa- tions. The model under study is experimentally validated using a small-scale laboratory electrolyser. Simulation results, using Matlab-Simulink™, show an adequate parameter agreement with those found experimentally. Therefore, the impact of the different pa- rameters on the electrolyser dynamic performance is introduced and the relevant analytical-experimental comparison is shown. The temperature effect on the PEM-ELS dynamic behaviour is also discussed. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Introduction Global warming and the energy crisis are the most important challenges facing mankind and need to be addressed. Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) are effective solutions for reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and providing the energy needed. Adopting clean and emission- free energy cycle is considered to be a major break-through in this regard and policymakers have highlighted the use of * Corresponding author. E-mail address: fatima.ingm@gmail.com (F.Z. Aouali). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he international journal of hydrogen energy xxx (2016) 1 e9 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.03.101 0360-3199/© 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Please cite this article in press as: Aouali FZ, et al., Analytical modelling and experimental validation of proton exchange membrane electrolyser for hydrogen production, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.03.101