# An Interactive Optimal Scheduling Method for Hydrogen Production System with Heat Recovery

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new scheduling method for hydrogen production systems that uses waste heat recovery to improve efficiency and output, especially under variable renewable energy conditions.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is an interactive optimization framework that jointly optimizes electrolyser current and mass flow for heat recovery in hydrogen systems.

## Key findings

- The proposed system with heat recovery increases hydrogen production by up to 9% under wind scarcity.
- The interactive optimization method enhances economic performance by jointly optimizing electrolyser and heat-recovery parameters.
- Real wind-farm data from Qinghai validates the practical viability of the system.

## Abstract

Renewable intermittency forces electrolytic hydrogen systems to operate across multiple states, lowering efficiency. We design a thermodynamic cycle that recovers electrolysis waste heat and integrates it with an alkaline electrolyser. A detailed thermodynamic model of the hydrogen system and the heat-recovery loop is developed, and design and operating parameters are optimized to maximize overall exergy efficiency. To improve economic viability, heat-exchanger structural parameters are co-optimized. We further propose an optimal scheduling method for the heat-recovery system under fluctuating renewable supply. The method employs an interactive optimisation framework cantered on the temperature–efficiency curve of alkaline electrolyser cells, jointly optimizing electrolyser current and working-fluid mass flow to enhance economic performance. A case study using real wind-farm data from Qinghai demonstrates that the proposed system with heat recovery significantly improves performance, increasing hydrogen production by up to 9% under wind scarcity compared to that of the system without heat recovery. These results confirm the practical viability of renewable-driven hydrogen production.