PRODUCT

Built for LARGE SCALE

The RuggedCell™’s unipolar design enables very high-power single modules for the world’s largest clean hydrogen facilities. These plants provide carbon-free energy for major industries such as chemical plants, utilities and heavy transportation. The system’s “at scale” design makes it possible to have fewer large modules instead of multiple smaller modules, thereby decreasing system complexity, and streamlining design, construction, installation and maintenance. This in turn facilitates the deployment of very large installations in “real world” renewable energy conditions, including at remote locations.

Historically, there was no need to consider electrolysis equipment for installations in the hundreds of megawatts. The RuggedCell™ was designed from the start to meet this need with a unique unipolar architecture.

Designed for the Lowest Levelized Cost of Clean Hydrogen at Large Scale

The RuggedCell™’s configurable system architecture enables cost-effective clean hydrogen plants ranging from tens of megawatts to gigawatt scale. Fewer large modules means minimal replication of substations, rectifiers, balance of stack, and balance of plant. PEM and bipolar alkaline systems, in contrast, require each of these components to be replicated numerous times for large installations.

Scale also drives up plant operating efficiencies. With no requirement for electrolyte circulation pumps, the RuggedCell™’s electrolytic cell performance delivers a high hydrogen yield for every kW of electrical power.

Dynamic Power Response

The patented RuggedCell™ system efficiently converts renewable electricity such as solar and wind power into clean hydrogen. Operating over the full dynamic range of available power, and capable of responding to wide variations in loads in seconds, the RuggedCell™ is well-suited to renewable power inputs. This capability makes it possible to avoid shutdowns at low renewable energy intensity while maximizing the conversion of electrical power to hydrogen. High gas purities are sustained over the full operating range, further driving down the levelized cost of hydrogen.

20 Year Lifespan

The RuggedCell™ is designed to minimize the root causes of performance degradation over time. The system delivers relatively stable efficiency over a long lifespan thanks to a proprietary electrode catalyst that is operated at a fraction of its capacity. Low system strain, and a unique unipolar electrochemical environment, provides mechanical and chemical stability over long timeframes.

Low-Cost Onsite Maintenance

The RuggedCell™ is designed for long-term reliability. In the event that maintenance is required, the system architecture allows for easy, on-site repair work. There is no need to ship electrolyzer cell assemblies to the factory; the RuggedCell™’s modular construction enables individual cells to be swapped out quickly and efficiently.

Furthermore, each individual cell is instrumented for real-time performance monitoring. That means issues can be quickly identified for rapid maintenance. Together, these features provide for cost savings and maximized plant up-time.

No Iridium or PFAS Forever Chemicals

The RuggedCell™ design requires no platinum, iridium or other platinum group metals. This avoids the well-known supply chain and cost impediments associated with these materials. Instead, the cells are constructed with readily available materials – principally steel, copper and nickel. This enables cradle-to-cradle recycling of all parts, another key factor to achieve the lowest levelized cost of hydrogen.

Furthermore, no perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are used. As a result, the RuggedCell™ system contains no toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, which face regulatory scrutiny in some jurisdictions.

Proven Stuart Electrolysis Technology

The RuggedCell™’s design builds upon a foundation of proven Stuart unipolar technology. With a 100-year legacy and 1 billion cell-hours of operation, this technology has operated successfully in about 1,000 hydrogen plants in 100 countries.

Optimized for mass manufacturing, on-site maintenance and operational flexibility with renewables, the RuggedCell™ operates with an electrochemical environment identical to the Stuart cell.

EPCs Seeking Additional Information

EPCs, EPCMs and large clean hydrogen project developers:

For more detailed information on RuggedCell™ technology, click here.