HydoTech has achieved a world-first in real-time internal temperature measurement for a commercial scale electrolyser test system in collaboration with Shell. This breakthrough demonstrates the feasibility of applying fibre-optic temperature sensing inside the electrolyser under high-temperature, corrosive and high-pressure conditions, and establishes a new technical basis for internal state visibility and intelligent operation in green hydrogen systems.
As green hydrogen systems scale up and operate under increasingly dynamic conditions, precise sensing of the electrolyser’s internal status is becoming critical to improving efficiency, safety and long-term reliability. By deploying fibre-optic sensors inside the electrolyser, the system can collect data at up to 100 measurements per second and continuously monitor temperature across the full electrochemical reaction surface, creating a three-dimensional, high-precision view of the internal thermal state. This significantly improves insight into internal operating conditions and provides a stronger basis for anomaly detection, condition assessment and operational optimisation.
More importantly, the value of this capability extends far beyond temperature monitoring itself. Based on high-frequency, high-precision internal temperature data, the system can support more advanced condition monitoring and, when combined with AI algorithms, enable anomaly detection, reaction kinetics inversion and dynamic control optimisation. For the electrolyser, this means that internal operating conditions can be identified, diagnosed and controlled with much greater clarity. Its core value lies in improving system efficiency, enhancing operational reliability, and providing a stronger basis for lifetime management and O&M optimisation — ultimately supporting lower green hydrogen production costs.
This collaboration not only validates the feasibility of applying advanced sensing technologies inside the electrolyser, but also highlights their broader value in in-situ sensing, intelligent diagnostics and control optimisation. For industrial-scale green hydrogen systems, this kind of high-precision, real-time internal data capability will be critical to improving system performance, operational stability and overall economics.
