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Fuel Cells

The long awaited arrival

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

Fuel cell technology is being used today


Busses, motorcycles, remotely operated aircraft Lawnmowers, laptops, cameras Home power generation units (up to 10 KW)
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Fuel cells are a power source that is becoming increasingly desirable


Many designs require a 10 Commun power source -ication Realize the benefits 9 Specification and the costs Be aware of emerging 8 technologies
Decision 7 Analysis 1 Identify Need 2 Define Problem 3 Search 4 Constraints 5 Criteria

6 Alternative Solutions

ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS

So what exactly is a fuel cell?


Demonstrated in 1839 by Sir William Grove
The principals involved have not changed since, but the materials and cell configurations have

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

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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
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500 - 1000 50 200 650

220

Basic principals of a H2-O2 fuel cell


Most familiar is the hydrogen oxygen fuel cell:
Cathode:

O 2 + 4 e - + 2 H 2O
Anode:

4 OH4 H2O + 4 e-

Schematic of a Fuel Cell

2 H2 + 4 OH Overall:

2 H2 + O2

2 H2O

Current must be routed externally to be used PEMFC has the greatest immediate potential
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So, how does a PEMFC work?


The electrolyte is replaced by a highly engineered

polymer
Allows the passage of H+ ions form anode to cathode Does not allow electrons to flow in the opposite direction

Hydrogen must be supplied to the anode surface


Pt catalyst are used to activate H2 Reformer units crack ethanol or methane to obtain their hydrogen

Oxygen must be supplied to the cathode surface


Pt catalyzes the formation of water also Oxygen or air feed

Due to small Vcell, MEA units are stacked in series


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The PEM is an amazing feat of materials engineering


Nafion is the patented DuPont polymer exchange membrane
~$300/m2 (& up) Costs vary by application

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

Chemical and thermodynamic irreversibility lower fuel cell efficiency


Some energy is lost to heat Reaction conditions effect efficiency
Ample gas must be provided to the electrodes Low PEM protonic (H+) resistance

Resistance of cell circuitry lowers efficiency Typical fuel-based efficiencies


Internal Combustion=25% Coal=30% Nuclear=35% Fuel cell=50-80%

ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS

Fuel cell efficiency is not an completely defined term yet


Voltage efficiency tends to over estimate the amount of work based on caloric fuel content

Max voltage = the reversible reaction potential at the operating conditions Emax = 100%, not realistic because of heat losses

Vcell E= V x100% voltage max

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

PEM fuel cells are already gaining everyday acceptance


Consumer products
Fuel cells power cameras Computers, even lawnmowers Ballard Inc, Ion Power Inc,..

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
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Limited numbers of fuel cell-powered cars are publicly available in Japan and fleet vehicles are currently in use around the world
Hy-Pump

PEMFC Mass Transit

Japanese H-Station

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But there is no such thing as a free lunch


Hydrogen must be produced, stored, and distributed
This requires electricity for electrolysis of water Solar power is being perused for this application

Construction of a PEMFC requires:


Platinum catalyst Exotic membrane materials Carbon electrodes Polymers Copper for wiring

Low voltages necessitate fuel cell stacking And, lets not forget the biggest potential difficulty with using hydrogen as a fuel .
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Hydrogen presents its own special set of problems, but ..

hydrogen has the highest fuel content per mass of any substance in the universe <PERIOD>
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Todays Lab Exercise


Safety
No ignition or heat sources Dont inhale the hydrogen or blow into the balloons Wear safety glasses at all times Keep the hydrogen balloons above head level as much as practical

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

Connection to the Motor


Connect the leads to the motor and open the needle valve ~1/4 turn (or less)
Observe the motor for a couple of minutes Adjust the flow back. Very little flow is needed

Now turn off the valve and wait ~1 min


What happens? Why or why not?

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

maximum efficiency of PEMFC under these conditions is ~80%


ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS

Fuel Cell Stacks and Hydrogen Consumption

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

Short answer questions


Inspect the dissembled unit before leaving today
Look at the additional PEM at your table Please try not to touch the black area of the PEM

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

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