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Case Study: Powering the Future of Green Hydrogen

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The Application: Clean Hydrogen at Industrial ScalePEM Electrolyzer

A leading clean energy company set out to deploy a modular Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer platform to accelerate green hydrogen production. Designed to scale from pilot plants to full-scale industrial installations, their system required a power solution that could adapt to a wide range of current and voltage demands while maintaining tight control, high efficiency, and full compliance with global power standards.

The unique challenge? Delivering precisely regulated DC power for systems ranging from 66.25kW to nearly 200kW—while enabling straightforward expansion and control in dynamic industrial environments.

Astrodyne TDI was chosen to help power this ambitious vision.

The Challenge: One Power Architecture, Three Demanding Systems

 

The PEM electrolyzer stack was engineered for scalability, supporting 21, 42, and 63 cell system configurations.

Each of these configurations needed to share the same power platform, even though:

  • Input requirements demanded a globally compatible 380-480VAC, 3-phase (47–63Hz) interface.

  • The output needed to be programmable constant current from 20A to 1325A, grounded load-compatible.

  • System design demanded efficiency >94%, power factor >0.95, and low harmonic distortion.

  • Control needed to be digitally integrated and field scalable for rapid deployment and future upgrades.

The customer required a modular power system architecture with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components that would reduce time to market and streamline future site expansions.

The Solution: Modular Building Blocks Powered by Mercury Flex + eLink2

Astrodyne TDI’s engineering team responded with a fully engineered, scalable solution, built on two field-proven technologies:

  • Mercury Flex AC-DC Power Modules: Modular, hot-swappable, and high-efficiency rectifiers.

  • eLink2 Power System Controller: Intelligent system control interface with support for industrial protocols and rich I/O monitoring.

Together, these formed the backbone of a 22.1kW Power Building Block, a standardized, rack-mounted assembly that could be paralleled to meet the current and voltage needs of each system size.

What’s Inside the Building Block?

Each building block features:

  • Six Mercury Flex 56V rectifiers, each set to deliver 73.6A @ ≤50V, totaling 442A per shelf

  • Full input power factor correction (PFC) and low harmonic distortion

  • CAN bus connectivity to the shelf and a Profinet bridge to the system controller

  • All components are integrated in a standard 19” 4U rack-mount chassis, including balance transformers and control hardware

Power entry and output were designed for robust industrial applications, with support for high-current bus bar interconnects, grounded loads, and independent AC feeds per building block.

 

System Integration: Scalable Designs for a Growing Industry

Astrodyne TDI’s modular approach enabled the customer to scale their electrolyzer system across three configurations, without redesigning the power architecture each time.

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The 21 Cell System delivers 66.25kW at up to 50V by paralleling three Power Building Blocks, providing a constant current output with centralized control and remote monitoring via the eLink2 Controller—all within a compact 12U footprint.

The 42 Cell System increases output to 132.5kW and 100V, utilizing six Power Building Blocks in a configuration to double voltage while maintaining current. This modular design not only supports power scalability but also reduces downtime and simplifies maintenance, with a system footprint of 24U.

For the largest configuration, the 63 Cell System achieves 198.75kW and 150V by integrating nine Power Building Blocks in an arrangement. It delivers full current at triple the compliance voltage, while maximizing part commonality and standardized components. The realized system fits within a 36U rack, supporting fast installation and easy expansion.

All configurations include Astrodyne TDI’s eLink2 controller, which provides:

  • Touchscreen local control and GUI

  • Ethernet MODBUS TCP (or EtherCAT, ProfiNET, CAN Open)

  • 32 digital and 8 analog I/Os

  • High-speed CAN bus for communication with Mercury Flex modules

  • Optional remote-mounting for flexible integration into control rooms or skid-mounted systems

Why It Worked: Collaboration + Proven Technology

From day one, Astrodyne TDI worked as an extension of the customer’s engineering team, helping map electrical requirements to modular components and designing an elegant, scalable solution using proven technology.

The advantages:

  • Rapid prototyping and deployment using COTS power modules

  • Simplified system growth from 66kW to 198kW using standard parts

  • Reduced total cost of ownership thanks to high-efficiency design and field serviceability

  • Easy field integration with industrial protocols, grounding compliance, and intuitive control interfaces

The result was a future-proof power platform for clean hydrogen generation, supporting the customer’s mission of enabling flexible, scalable electrolyzer deployments worldwide.

Let’s Build Power Systems That Scale with Your Innovation

Whether you're developing a hydrogen electrolyzer, industrial process controller, or next-generation clean energy platform, Astrodyne TDI’s modular power systems and collaborative engineering approach can help you scale smarter.

Contact us today to see how we can support your next challenge—from prototype to production.