| PhD Seminar

Name of the Speaker: Ms. Gundraju Keerthana (EE22D031)
Guide: Dr. Krishna Vasudevan
Venue: ESB-244 (Seminar Hall)
Date/Time: 15th September 2025 (Monday), 3 PM
Title: Studies on Power Converters for Green Hydrogen

Abstract :

With the increasing global emphasis on clean and sustainable energy, hydrogen energy and the hydrogen economy have garnered significant attention. Among various hydrogen production methods, green hydrogen—produced through electrolysis using electricity generated from renewable sources—is considered the most environmentally friendly.

This seminar presents a comprehensive literature review on different types of electrolyzers, including their modeling approaches, efficiency metrics, and tolerance to electrical ripple. A static model of an electrolyzer is developed to evaluate its steady-state performance. The study focuses on a high-power electrolyzer rated at 7.5 MVA (1500 V, 5000 A), which are representative of future ratings expected.

Several existing power converter topologies for powering electrolyzers are discussed, with a focus on their suitability for high-power applications. Given the substantial power level of 7.5 MVA, conventional high-power IGBTs and MOSFETs are found unsuitable due to their impact on efficiency. Therefore, diodes and thyristors emerge as the most suitable switching devices for this application.

A converter topology using diodes as the main switching elements is proposed and its design and operational principles are explained. The proposed topology is validated through simulations carried out in PLECS, and the results are discussed. Additionally, available high-power IGBTs and MOSFETs are evaluated in simulation to estimate switching losses, aiding in the understanding of component-level trade-offs.

This seminar aims to provide insights into the design and implementation of power electronics solutions for large-scale green hydrogen production systems.