Hydrogen Electrolyzer Start-Stop Degradation Cost Calculator

Translate electrolyzer stack wear caused by frequent cycling into a transparent dollar-per-start metric and the corresponding annual cost burden.

Total installed cost for the electrolyzer stack replacement, including labour and downtime.
Catalogued continuous operating hours before replacement under steady operation.
Effective hours of life lost whenever the plant starts and stops.
Count of planned and unplanned start-stop cycles per year.

Planner-level estimator. Validate against OEM warranty conditions and site-specific degradation models before committing to operating profiles.

Examples

  • Stack replacement cost USD 2,500,000, rated life 80,000 h, 12 h lost per start, 180 starts per year ⇒ USD 375.00 per start and USD 67,500.00 per year in degradation cost.
  • Stack replacement cost USD 1,800,000, rated life 60,000 h, 8 h lost per start, 90 starts per year ⇒ USD 240.00 per start and USD 21,600.00 per year in degradation cost.

FAQ

How do I estimate hours lost per start-stop?

Use OEM cycling data, cell reversal studies, or field telemetry comparing lifetime versus cumulative starts. Many operators regress remaining useful life against starts to back-calculate the equivalent hours consumed per cycle.

Can I include balance-of-plant wear in the cost?

Yes. Add maintenance or replacement costs for compressors, dryers, and power electronics into the stack replacement cost if those components also experience cycling-driven wear.

How should I treat partial load hold periods?

If hold periods impose less stress than full shutdowns, derive a separate equivalent hours factor for warm holds and multiply by their count before summing with full start-stop events.

Additional Information

  • Result unit: US dollars for per-start and per-year degradation cost.
  • Life consumption per start-stop aggregates thermal ramps, pressure swings, and drying steps—document the engineering basis for audit trails.
  • Assumes degradation is proportional to lost life hours; update the factor if OEM data provides non-linear wear curves.

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