الفهرس 
THEORITICAL BACKGROUNDOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
In this work, an alkaline water electrolyzer cell was designed and constructed to produce hydrogen gas using photovoltaic (PV) module as a source of electric power. The PV module is a mono-crystalline silicon type with maximum output power of 8W. The electrolyzer cell is a rectangular container and is made from Acrylic material. Two electrodes are used as a cathode and anode, which are partially immersed in the alkaline solution.
The work was investigated through three stages: optimization, evaluation and enhancement stage. In the optimization stage, a wide range of operating conditions, which include input voltage, gap between electrodes, cathode material, and concentration of the electrolyte, were considered, and their effects on the hydrogen production rate were explored. The optimum operating conditions, which correspond to the maximum hydrogen production rate, were determined for the system.
In the evaluation stage, the performance of water electrolyzer cell was experimentally studied using the photovoltaic (PV) module. The process of water electrolysis using the photovoltaic (PV) module was operated during a sample day in the summer season from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Finally, the performance of the system was enhanced by electrode surface modification using plasma etching system. The surface structural, morphological and optical characteristics of the etched and non-etched electrodes are studied. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis indicated that the electrical conductivity of the etched electrode is higher than of the non-etched electrode. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and laser speckles images showed that the surface area of the etched electrode is increased compared to non-etched electrode due to the process of plasma etching.