Fuel cell

A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity and heat

by electrochemically reacting a fuel (generally hydrogen
or hydrogen-rich) with oxygen.
HOW DO FUEL CELLS WORK
 How does a fuel cell differ from a
battery?
HYDROGEN FUEL CELL BATTERY

 Open system.  Closed system

 Reactants are externally  Reactants are internally
supplied, no recharging are consumed, need periodic
required. recharging.
 Why use a fuel cell?
 More fuel-efficient.
 Operate with very little noise
 Produce no harmful emissions.
 They have no moving parts and are thus easy to maintain.
 In addition to electrical power, they produce high-quality heat
which can be used for heating.
 So improving the overall efficiency of fuel use.
• The principle of the fuel cell was discovered by German
scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838 and published in
one of the scientific magazines of the time.
• Based on this work, the first fuel cell was demonstrated by Welsh
scientist and barrister Sir William Robert Grove in the February
1839 edition of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal of
Science and later sketched, in 1842, in the same journal.
• A fuel cell converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity
through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.
• Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as
natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used.
• Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a constant
source of fuel and oxygen to run, but they can produce electricity
continually for as long as these inputs are supplied.
 When was the fuel cell
invented?
• Commercial potential first demonstrated by NASA in the
1960’s.

These fuel cells provide all of the

electricity as well as drinking water
when Space Shuttle is in flight. It
produces 12 kilowatts electricity, and
produces 154 litre
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF
FUEL CELL
• Fuel cell stack
• Fuel processor
• Power conditioners
• Air compressors
• Humidifiers
• Bipolar plates
• Fuel Cell Types:
• PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBARANE FUEL CELL (PEMFC).

• PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL CELL (PAFC).

• DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL (DMFC).

• ALKALINE FUEL CELL (AFC).

• MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL CELL (MCFC).

• SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL (SOFC).

• REGENERATIVE FUEL CELL.

PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBARANE
FUEL CELL (PEMFC).
• Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, also known as polymer electrolyte
membrane (PEM) fuel cells.

• (PEMFC), are a type of fuel cell being developed for transport applications as
well as for stationary fuel cell applications and portable fuel cell applications.

• The heart of a PEM fuel cell is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which
includes the membrane, the catalyst layers, and gas diffusion layers (GDLs).

• GDL is typically composed of a sheet of carbon paper in which the carbon fibers
are partially coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

• Their distinguishing features include lower temperature/pressure ranges (50 to

80 °C) and special polymer electrolyte membrane. Efficiency – 40 -60%.

• They are a leading candidate to replace the aging alkaline fuel cell technology,
which was used in the Space Shuttle.
• REACTIONS IN PEMFC:
• A proton exchange membrane fuel cell transforms the chemical energy liberated
during the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to electrical energy,
as opposed to the direct combustion of hydrogen and oxygen gases to
produce thermal energy.

• A stream of hydrogen is delivered to the anode side of the membrane electrode

assembly (MEA). At the anode side it is catalytically split
into protons and electrons. This is called as oxidation half-cell reaction or
Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction (HOR).
• AT THE ANODE: (carbon electrode)

H2 2H+ + 2e -

• The newly formed protons permeate through the polymer electrolyte membrane
to the cathode side.
• The electrons travel along an external load circuit to the cathode side of the MEA,
thus creating the current output of the fuel cell.

• Meanwhile, a stream of oxygen is delivered to the cathode side of the MEA.

• AT THE CATHODE: (carbon electrode)

• At the cathode side oxygen molecules react with the protons permeating through the
polymer electrolyte membrane and the electrons arriving through the external circuit
to form water molecules. This is called as reduction half-cell reaction or Oxygen
Reduction Reaction (ORR) .
• 1/2O2 + 2H+ + 2e - H2 O

• OVERALL REACTION:

• H2 + 1/2O2 H2 O
POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANE :
• AREAS TO BE NOTED IN PEMFC:

• To function, the membrane must conduct hydrogen ions (protons) but not
electrons as this would in effect "short circuit" the fuel cell.
• The membrane must also not allow either gas to pass to the other side of the
cell, a problem known as gas crossover.
• Finally, the membrane must be resistant to the reducing environment at the
cathode as well as the harsh oxidative environment at the anode.
• Splitting of the hydrogen molecule is relatively easy by using a platinum
catalyst.
• Unfortunately however, splitting the oxygen molecule is more difficult, and
this causes significant electric losses. An appropriate catalyst material for this
process has not been discovered, and platinum is the best option.
• The PEMFC is a prime candidate for vehicle and other mobile applications of all
sizes down to mobile phones, because of its compactness.
• However, the water management is crucial to performance: too much water will
flood the membrane, too little will dry it; in both cases, power output will drop.
• Water management is a very difficult subject in PEM systems, primarily because
water in the membrane is attracted toward the cathode of the cell through
polarization. A wide variety of solutions for managing the water exist including
integration of electro osmotic pumps.
• Furthermore, the platinum catalyst on the membrane is easily poisoned by carbon
monoxide (no more than one part per million is usually acceptable) and the
membrane is sensitive to things like metal ions, which can be introduced by
corrosion of metallic bipolar plates, metallic components in the fuel cell system
or from contaminants in the fuel/oxidant.
• PEM systems that use reformed methanol were proposed, as in Daimler
Chrysler Necar 5; reforming methanol, i.e. making it react to obtain
hydrogen, is however a very complicated process, that requires also
purification from the carbon monoxide the reaction produces.
• A platinum-ruthenium catalyst is necessary as some carbon monoxide will
unavoidably reach the membrane.
• The level should not exceed 10 ppm. Furthermore, the start-up times of such
a reformer reactor are of about half an hour.
• Alternatively, methanol, and some other bio fuels can be fed to a PEM fuel
cell directly without being reformed, thus making a direct methanol fuel cell
(DMFC).
DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL

• Reaction Formula is CH3OH + 1.5O2 --> CO2 + 2H20

• Cathode reaction is 1.5O2 + 6H+ + 6e- --> 3H2O

• Anode reaction is CH3OH + H2O --> CO2 + 6H+ + 6e-

• Operating temperature- 70°C

• Efficiency – less than 30%
DIRECT METHANOL FUEL
CELL
• The most commonly used membrane is Nafion, which relies on liquid water
humidification of the membrane to transport protons.
• This implies that it is not feasible to use temperatures above 80 to 90 °C, since
the membrane would dry.

• Other, more recent membrane types, based on Polybenzimidazole

(PBI) OR phosphoric acid, can reach up to 220 °C without using any water
management: higher temperature allow for better efficiencies, power densities,
ease of cooling (because of larger allowable temperature differences), reduced
sensitivity to carbon monoxide poisoning and better controllability (because of
absence of water management issues in the membrane); however, these recent
types are not as common.

• The acid is contained in a Teflon-bonded silicon carbide matrix—and porous

carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst
PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL
CELL
 PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL CELL

• The fuel cell itself, however, can tolerate a maximum of

50 ppmV of sulfur compounds
• PAFCs are more than 85% efficient when used for the
co-generation of electricity and heat but they are less
efficient at generating electricity alone (37%–42%).
ALKALINE FUEL CELL
 ALKALINE FUEL CELL
• These fuel cells use a solution of potassium hydroxide in water as the electrolyte
and can use a variety of non-precious metals as a catalyst at the anode and
cathode.
• Anode/Cathode: made of a porous, conductive material (often carbon-
based). There is a thin but porous coating of a catalyst next to the
electrolyte. The catalyst can be made of Nickel, Silver, metal oxides, spinels, or
noble metals.
• High-temperature AFCs operate at temperatures between 100°C and 250°C
(212°F and 482°F). However, newer AFC designs operate at lower temperatures
of roughly 23°C to 70°C (74°F to 158°F).
• In recent years, novel AFCs that use a polymer membrane as the electrolyte have
been developed. The high performance of AFCs is due to the rate at which
electro-chemical reactions take place in the cell.
• They have efficiencies above 60% (electrical) and 80 – 90% in CHPs..
ALKALINE FUEL CELL
• The disadvantage of this fuel cell type is that it is easily
poisoned by carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact, even the
small amount of CO2 in the air can affect this cell's
operation, making it necessary to purify both the
hydrogen and oxygen used in the cell.
• Alkaline membrane cells have lower susceptibility to
CO2 poisoning than liquid-electrolyte AFCs do, but
performance still suffers as a result of CO2 that dissolves
into the membrane.
ALKALINE FUEL CELL
• ANODE REACTION: 2H2 + 4OH- => 4H2O + 4e-

• CATHODE REACTION: O2 + 2H2O + 4e- => 4OH-

• OVERALL NET REACTION: 2H2 +O2 => 2H2O

MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL
CELLS
 MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL
CELLS
• At anode
H2 + CO3= = H2O + CO2 + 2e-
At cathode
l/2O2 + CO2 + 2e- = CO3 =
Overall cell reaction
H2 + l/2O2 + CO2 (cathode) = H2O + CO2 (anode)
• A fuel such as natural gas is either reformed externally or within the
cell in the presence of a suitable catalyst to form H2 and CO by the
reaction:
CH4 + H2O = 3H2 + CO.
• Note that CO is not directly used by the electrochemical oxidation, but
produces additional H2 by the water gas shift reaction:
CO + H2O = H2 + CO2.
 MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL CELLS
• MCFCs are high-temperature fuel cells that use an electrolyte composed of a
molten carbonate salt mixture suspended in a porous, chemically inert ceramic
lithium aluminum oxide matrix.
• Operate at high temperatures of 650°C (roughly 1,200°F)

• can tolerate a maximum of 0.5 ppmV of sulfur compounds

• The anode is made from Ni while the cathode is made from nickel oxide
• When coupled with a turbine, can reach efficiencies approaching 65%,
considerably higher than the 37%–42% efficiencies of a phosphoric acid fuel
cell plant. When the waste heat is captured and used, overall fuel efficiencies can
be over 85%.
• At the high temperatures at which MCFCs operate, methane and other light
hydrocarbons in these fuels are converted to hydrogen within the fuel cell itself
by a process called internal reforming, which also reduces cost.
• The primary disadvantage of current MCFC technology is durability. The high
temperatures at which these cells operate and the corrosive electrolyte used
accelerate component breakdown and corrosion, decreasing cell life.
 SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS (SOFCS)
• Non-porous ceramic compound as the electrolyte Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2.
anode made from CoZrO2 or NiZrO2 cermet, while the
cathode is made from Sr doped LaMnO3
• SOFCs are around 50 - 60% efficient at converting fuel to electricity. Overall
(co-generation) efficiencies could top 70 - 80%.
• SOFCs operating temperature— 1,000°C (1,830°F).
• SOFCs are also the most sulfur-resistant fuel cell type; they can tolerate several
orders of magnitude more sulfur than other cell types can. In addition, they are
not poisoned by carbon monoxide, which can even be used as fuel. This
property allows SOFCs to use natural gas, biogas, and gases made from coal.
• It results in a slow startup and requires significant thermal shielding to retain
heat and protect personnel, which may be acceptable for utility applications but
not for transportation
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS
(SOFCS)
 SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS
(SOFCS)
• At cathode:
1/2 O2 + 2e- = O=
At the anode:
H2 + 1/2O= = H2O + 2e-
overall cell reaction:
H2 + l/2O2 = H2O
APPLICATIONS
PORTABLE
STATIONARY

TRANSPORT
 MAIN DISADVANTAGE
 Hydrogen is flammable and has the potential to react violently
with oxygen in the air.
- The key is having the correct safety features to use this
potentially hazardous substances.

 The major drawback to using hydrogen is that it has the lowest

storage density of all fuels.
- However, it is possible to store large quantities of
hydrogen in its pure form by compressing it to very high pressure
and storing it in containers which are designed and certified to
withstand the pressures involved.