Fuel Cells
• A fuel cell uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or another
fuel to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity.
• If hydrogen is the fuel, electricity, water, and heat are the only
products.
• Fuel cells are unique in terms of the variety of their potential
applications; they can provide power for systems as large as a
utility power station and as small as a laptop computer
Why Study Fuel Cells
• Fuel cells can be used in a wide range of applications, including
transportation, material handling, stationary, portable, and
emergency backup power applications.
• Fuel cells have several benefits over conventional combustion-
based technologies currently used in many power plants and
passenger vehicles.
• Fuel cells can operate at higher efficiencies than combustion
engines, and can convert the chemical energy in the fuel to electrical
energy with efficiencies of up to 60%.
• Fuel cells have lower emissions than combustion engines. Hydrogen
fuel cells emit only water, so there are no carbon dioxide emissions
and no air pollutants that create smog and cause health problems at
the point of operation.
• Also, fuel cells are quiet during operation as they have fewer
moving parts.
How Fuel Cells Work
• Fuel cells work like batteries, but they do not run down or
need recharging.
• They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.
• A fuel cell consists of two electrodes—a negative electrode
(or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode)—sandwiched
around an electrolyte.
• A fuel, such as hydrogen, is fed to the anode, and air is fed to
the cathode.
• In a hydrogen fuel cell, a catalyst at the anode separates
hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which take
different paths to the cathode.
• The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow
of electricity.
• The protons migrate through the electrolyte to the cathode,
where they unite with oxygen and the electrons to produce
water and heat.
One of the more common types of fuel cell is the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell.
The PEM fuel cell consists of an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between
an anode (negative electrode) and a cathode (positive electrode).
Fuel Cell Components
• PEM
The PEM is a thin, solid, organic compound, typically the
consistency of plastic wrap and about as thick as 2 to 7 sheets
of paper. This membrane functions as an electrolyte: a
substance that conducts charged ions (in this case protons), but
does not conduct electrons. This allows the solution to conduct
electricity. This membrane must be kept moist to conduct
particles through it.
• Anode
The anode is the electrode at which oxidation (loss of
electrons) takes place. In a fuel cell, the anode is electrically
negative. The anode is composed of platinum particles
uniformly supported on carbon particles. The platinum acts as
a catalyst, increasing the rate of the oxidation process. The
anode is porous so that hydrogen can pass through it.
• Cathode
The cathode is the electrode at which reduction
(gaining of electrons) takes place. In a fuel cell, the
cathode is electrically positive. The cathode is
composed of platinum particles uniformly supported
on carbon particles. The platinum acts as a catalyst,
increasing the rate of the reduction process. The
cathode is porous so that oxygen can pass through it.
• Flow Plates
Flow plates perform several important functions:
• They channel hydrogen and oxygen to the electrodes
• They channel water and heat away from the fuel cell
• They conduct electrons from the anode to the
electrical circuit and from the circuit back to the
cathode.
The Chemical Process
The Chemical Process
• H2 and Anode
Hydrogen fuel (H2) is
channeled to the anode,
where the catalyst separates
the hydrogen's negatively
charged electrons from the
positively charged protons.
• PEM
• The membrane allows
the positively charged
protons to pass through
to the cathode, but not
the negatively charged
electrons.
• The negatively charged
electrons must flow
around the membrane
through an external
circuit. This flow of
electrons forms an
electrical current.
• Cathode
• At the cathode, the
negatively charged electrons
and positively charged
hydrogen ions (protons)
combine with oxygen to
form water (H2O) and heat.
Fuel Cell Stack
• To increase the amount of electricity
generated, individual fuel cells are
combined in series, into a fuel cell
"stack."
• A typical fuel cell stack may consist of
hundreds of fuel cells. The fuel cell stack
is the heart of a fuel cell power system.
• It generates electricity in the form of
direct current (DC) from electro-chemical
reactions that take place in the fuel cell. A
single fuel cell produces less than 1 V,
which is insufficient for most
applications.
• Therefore, individual fuel cells are
typically combined in series into a fuel
cell stack.
• A typical fuel cell stack may consist of
hundreds of fuel cells.
• The amount of power produced by a fuel
cell depends upon several factors, such as
fuel cell type, cell size, the temperature at
which it operates, and the pressure of the
gases supplied to the cell
FUEL PROCESSOR
• The fuel processor converts fuel into a form usable by the fuel
cell. Depending on the fuel and type of fuel cell, the fuel processor can be
a simple sorbent bed to remove impurities, or a combination of multiple
reactors and sorbents.
• If the system is powered by a hydrogen-rich, conventional fuel, such as
methanol, gasoline, diesel, or gasified coal, a reformer is typically used to
convert hydrocarbons into a gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon
compounds called "reformate." In many cases, the reformate is then sent to
a set of reactors to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and remove
any trace amounts of carbon monoxide remaining and a sorbent bed to
remove other impurities, such as sulfur compounds, before it is sent to the
fuel cell stack. This process prevents impurities in the gas from binding
with the fuel cell catalysts. This binding process is also called "poisoning"
because it reduces the efficiency and life expectancy of the fuel cell.
• Some fuel cells, such as molten carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells,
operate at temperatures high enough that the fuel can be reformed in the
fuel cell itself. This process is called internal reforming. Fuel cells that use
internal reforming still need traps to remove impurities from the
unreformed fuel before it reaches the fuel cell. Both internal and external
reforming release carbon dioxide, but due to the fuel cells’ high efficiency,
less carbon dioxide is emitted than by internal-combustion engines, such as
those used in gasoline-powered vehicles.
POWER CONDITIONERS
• Power conditioning includes controlling current (amperes),
voltage, frequency, and other characteristics of the electrical
current to meet the needs of the application. Fuel cells produce
electricity in the form of direct current (DC). In a DC circuit,
electrons flow in only one direction. The electricity in your
home and workplace is in the form of alternating current (AC),
which flows in both directions on alternating cycles. If the fuel
cell is used to power equipment that uses AC, the direct
current will have to be converted to alternating current.
• Both AC and DC power must be conditioned. Current inverters
and conditioners adapt the electrical current from the fuel cell
to suit the electrical needs of the application, whether it is a
simple electrical motor or a complex utility power grid.
Conversion and conditioning reduce system efficiency only
slightly, around 2%–6%.
AIR COMPRESSORS
• Fuel cell performance improves as the pressure of the reactant
gases increases; therefore many fuel cell systems include an air
compressor, which raises the pressure of the inlet air to 2–4
times the ambient atmospheric pressure.
• For transportation applications, air compressors should have
an efficiency of at least 75%.
• In some cases, an expander is also included to recover power
from the high pressure exhaust gases. Expander efficiency
should be at least 80%.
HUMIDIFIERS
• The polymer electrolyte membrane at the heart of a PEM fuel
cell does not work well when dry, so many fuel cell systems
include a humidifier for the inlet air.
• Humidifiers usually consist of a thin membrane, which may be
made of the same material as the PEM.
• By flowing dry inlet air on one side of the humidifier and wet
exhaust air on the other side, the water produced by the fuel
cell may be recycled to keep the PEM well hydrated.
Types of fuel cells
• Fuel cells are classified primarily by the kind of electrolyte they
employ. This classification determines the kind of electro-chemical
reactions that take place in the cell, the kind of catalysts required,
the temperature range in which the cell operates, the fuel required,
and other factors. These characteristics, in turn, affect the
applications for which these cells are most suitable. There are
several types of fuel cells currently under development, each with its
own advantages, limitations, and potential applications..
• Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
• Direct methanol fuel cells
• Alkaline fuel cells
• Phosphoric acid fuel cells
• Molten carbonate fuel cells
• Solid oxide fuel cells
• Reversible fuel cells
• Each fuel cell technology has advantages and challenges.
