Editing Openai/6944461c-7f90-8000-8c32-54fe2958dd9a (section)

=== Assistant: Excellent — this is where most competitions quietly fail, so we’ll lock it down cleanly. ===
Excellent — this is where most competitions quietly fail, so we’ll lock it down cleanly.
Below is an XPRIZE-faithful “Allowed Hybridizations” section: permissive enough to enable breakthroughs, strict enough to prevent electrolysis-in-disguise.

Dry. Legal. Judge-proof.

==== The Competition permits hybrid systems that combine pressure-driven mechanisms with limited auxiliary inputs, provided pressure remains the Primary Energy Driver as defined in Section 14. ====

===== The following auxiliary mechanisms are permitted only when subordinate to pressure-driven separation: =====

====== - Electrical inputs ≤ 0.5 V per cell ======
* Used exclusively to: - Enhance ion mobility - Reduce activation energy - Maintain membrane selectivity

Electrical input must not independently sustain hydrogen production.

====== - Use of mild polarization to bias transport direction ======
* No gas evolution driven primarily by electrical input

====== - Electrodes embedded within pressurized environments ======
* Electrical components must function as modulators, not drivers

===== For hybrid systems, teams must demonstrate that: =====
* ≥ 70% of total hydrogen separation work is attributable to pressure-derived energy
* Pressure contribution is sustained during steady-state operation
* Electrical input alone cannot produce hydrogen at meaningful rates

Energy attribution must be supported by third-party-verified measurements.

===== The following hybridizations are not allowed: =====
* Electrolysis systems merely operated at elevated pressure
* Electrical inputs scaled to compensate for insufficient pressure
* Systems where pressure serves only as containment, not a functional driver
* Voltage ramping during testing to mask pressure insufficiency

===== Teams must demonstrate pressure primacy by at least one of the following: =====
* Pressure-only operation producing measurable hydrogen output
* Controlled reduction of electrical input without proportional loss of output
* Comparative runs showing pressure dominance in performance curves

Failure to demonstrate pressure primacy will result in disqualification.

===== Hybrid systems must ensure that: =====
* Electrochemical components do not accelerate membrane degradation
* Interfaces remain stable under sustained pressure differentials
* No consumable electrodes are depleted during demonstration

===== Teams must fully disclose: =====
* All electrical inputs and control logic
* Energy flow diagrams
* Pressure-to-output relationships

Undisclosed hybridization mechanisms will result in immediate disqualification.

===== XPRIZE reserves the right to: =====
* Reclassify systems as electrolysis-dominant based on observed behavior
* Require additional testing to isolate pressure contribution
* Impose stricter attribution thresholds if warranted

All determinations are final.

==== Teams are encouraged to submit a brief statement describing how their hybridization strategy preserves the spirit of pressure-first separation. ====

This statement will not be scored but may inform interpretation.

If you want next, we can add:
* a Pressure Attribution Test Protocol (the real enforcement hammer)
* a Depth-Based Compliance Annex (explicit cenote / subsea language)
* or a Failure Taxonomy so teams can’t lawyer their way out of cracks

This section now prevents electrolysis cosplay while still letting real engineers cook.