ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Fuel cells have been just 10 more years away from everyday use over 50 years
Several problems have contributed to this
Materials Hydrogen storage & safety Economics
Recent advances in engineered materials have made fuel cells a viable design option
Proton exchange membranes (PEM) Composite and nanotechnology
6 Alternative Solutions
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Fuel cell: An electrochemical device, which converts chemical energy to electrical energy without combustion and has its fuel &/or oxidant supplied externally. This encompasses a wide array of devices
Five commonly accepted categories Classified by the electrolyte used
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Fuel cells are typically classified by the type of electrolyte they use
Fuel Cell Type Temperature, C Proton exchange membrane PEMFC Solid-oxide SOFC Alkali AFC Molten Carbonate MCFC Phosphoric acid PAFC 50 - 100 Applications Appliances, Transportation, Home power generation Space applications Space applications Large vehicles, distributed power, CHP generating systems CHP generating systems Advantages Zero emissions potential, Compact Low maintenance, High current density Low emission, High efficiency, compact Reliability, Zero emissions potential ~80% efficiency, low emission, quiet, >10 MW ~80% efficiency, low emission, quiet, >10 MW
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
220
O 2 + 4 e - + 2 H 2O
Anode:
4 OH4 H2O + 4 e-
2 H2 + 4 OH Overall:
2 H2 + O2
2 H2O
Current must be routed externally to be used PEMFC has the greatest immediate potential
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
polymer
Allows the passage of H+ ions form anode to cathode Does not allow electrons to flow in the opposite direction
Surface Pt facilitates the reactions at both electrodes Carbon nanotubes conduct protons from one electrode interface to the other PEM Functions as an electrolyte solution
Allows H+ migration Prevents electron migration
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Max voltage = the reversible reaction potential at the operating conditions Emax = 100%, not realistic because of heat losses
Vmax=1.23v @STP
The Change in Gibbs energy and Heat of formation of water form the basis for the most commonly used overall efficiency measure
overall
E=
()[Vcell]
x100%
=0.95 =1.48
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Auto manufacturers
PEMFC cars are being publicly released this year in Japan Toyota, Honda
Power generation
Avista Laboratory's 7.5KW PEM residential fuel cell power plant.
Powered flight
Carbon composite plane built by DynAero, fuel cells provide power to the motor
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Limited numbers of fuel cell-powered cars are publicly available in Japan and fleet vehicles are currently in use around the world
Hy-Pump
Japanese H-Station
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Low voltages necessitate fuel cell stacking And, lets not forget the biggest potential difficulty with using hydrogen as a fuel .
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
hydrogen has the highest fuel content per mass of any substance in the universe <PERIOD>
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Set Up
Disconnect yardstick from the stand Fill the balloon to about 6 dia. with H2
Turn needle valves off/on as needed The valve will keep the H2 from leaking out too rapidly
Keep the balloons high, and re-connect to the stands Plug in the tube to the upper H2 connection on the PEMFC
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
What would happen if the vents on the air side of the PEMFC were blocked?
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
PEMFC Efficiency
Connect the multimeter to the fuel cell Set to read 2 volts Record the volts generated by your fuel cell, Vc Calculate the efficiency of your PEMFC unit using each of the following equations:
Vcell E = 1.23 x100% voltage (0.95)[Vcell] 100% E= overall 1.48
Connect your PEMFC in series with the other one at your table
What do you expect the combined voltage to be? Measure the combined voltage Calculate overall efficiency of the stack
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
At 5 ml/min, how long will the H2 balloon run the motor? Calculate the mass of Pt in the PEM
(assume 0.3 mg Pt/cm2)
What factors must be considered when comparing the costs of H2 and gasoline as fuel sources?
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS
Hope that you learned something and enjoyed the lab as well
ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS