Author(s)

SILVIA PIA GERMANÒ, CRISTINA LAZAR, CONCETTINA MARINO, ANTONINO NUCARA, MATILDE PIETRAFESA

Abstract

The aim of this article is to illustrate the development and validation of a simulation algorithm, implemented in a MATLAB environment, designed to model the operation of the hydrogen production and storage plant through electrolysis, installed at the Energy and Environment Laboratory of the Department of Civil, Energy, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICEAM) at the ‘Mediterranea’ University of Reggio Calabria. The numerical modelling of the hydrogen production plant powered by renewable energy sources represents an essential tool for understanding, predicting and optimizing its behaviour under both real and simulated operating conditions. The research activity focuses on the implementation of simulation procedures, with the goal of developing a computational code capable of describing the physical phenomena and energy flows that characterize the plant’s operation. The work is structured in successive phases, including the analysis of the physical problem, the formalization of the mathematical model, and its implementation in MATLAB environment. This approach leads to the construction of a digital model of the system capable of supporting engineering evaluations, comparisons with experimental data and analysis of alternative scenarios, paving the ground for the development of both control and optimization strategies. The development and calibration of the model were supported by the results of specific experimental measurement campaigns, which allowed the validation of the analysis on the basis of real field data.

Keywords

green hydrogen, electrolysis, renewable energy integration, energy storage systems, modelling and simulation