50 % seminar: High-Voltage Direct Current Supply for Massive Production of Hydrogen

Supplying hydrogen electrolyzers from High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) grids is a promising approach for large-scale renewable-based hydrogen production, particularly when electricity is transmitted over long distances. However, due to the low operating voltage of electrolyzers, such systems require cost-effective power conversion with very high step-down ratios. Therefore, high-power, high-ratio conversion solutions are of particular interest.

The presentation is divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of the candidate conversion solutions considered within the project and presents the methodology and results of their comparative analysis. The solutions are evaluated in terms of component requirements and system-level characteristics.

The second part focuses on the trapezoidal front-to-front modular multilevel DC/DC converter, selected for further investigation based on the comparative analysis. The topology is particularly attractive for high- and medium-voltage DC applications due to its low capacitive energy requirements. The presentation will discuss recently published work on a systematic control, modelling, and design methodology for this converter, followed by an outlook on ongoing and future work.