Recently, the joint R&D team of Dongfang Electric Corporation and Academician Xie Heping's team achieved a major breakthrough in the large-scale engineering verification of direct hydrogen production via seawater electrolysis without desalination. The independently developed new-type split-structure equipment system with a capacity of 110 Nm³/h accumulated an operating duration exceeding 1,000 hours, marking a critical step toward the industrialisation of this technology.
The team accomplished a hundredfold scale-up of the system in just 16 months, with the R&D process advancing steadily: in May 2023, they completed the world’s first offshore test of in-situ hydrogen production from seawater without desalination coupled with offshore wind power (1.2 Nm³/h) using the "Dongfu No. 1" platform; in July 2024, a 10 Nm³/h prototype passed a 240-hour continuous operation test, verifying the reliability of core technologies; in September of the same year, a 110 Nm³/h system was built and completed its first phase of 240 hours of stable operation, and in December of this year, it finished the third phase of core component operation tests.
The team focused on innovations in key areas such as zero-energy mass transfer and modular integration, establishing a full-chain independent R&D system covering "theory-technology-engineering." The equipment adopts a highly integrated modular design, paired with a visual monitoring system that enables real-time intelligent regulation, significantly enhancing system stability and adaptability to multiple scenarios.
This technology breaks through the limitations of the traditional "desalination before hydrogen production" approach, forming a disruptive development path for marine green hydrogen. In the future, Dongfang Electric will accelerate the iteration of core technologies and the development of industrial-grade products, promote the transformation of "marine resources" into "marine energy," create a distinctive marine green hydrogen industry track, and contribute Chinese solutions.
