Home fuel cells types of fuel cells fuel cells are classified primarily by the kind of electrolyte they employ. The bipolar plates may be made of different types of materials, such as, metal, coated metal. The anode catalyst, usually fine platinum powder, breaks down the fuel into electrons and ions. The key to a hydrogen economy ammonia fuel cell systems. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells provide highpower density and the advantages of low weight and volume compared to other types of fuel cells. Sem and tem image of different types of 0d nsms, which is synthesized by.
In the case of indirect fuel cell, the active fuel is obtained from a source and oxidized, example hydrogen obtained by hydrocarbon cracking. Hydrogen fuel cells directly convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity and release water and useful heat as byproducts. They consist of an electrolyte medium sandwiched between two electrodes fig. Cells wich use hydrocarbons directly as fuel around 150 c have low efficiency and current density, thus have been restricted to research investigations. The materials used for different parts of the fuel cells differ by type.
Alcohol fuels and impure hydrogen containning co and co2 produced by reforming hydrocarbons have been used by various compagnies. In general, the performances of acid cells are much lower than that of alkaline cells, due to the poorer performances of the air electrode, probably because of the increased stability of formed perroxides in. The electrolyte substance, which usually defines the type of fuel cell, and can be made from a number of substances like potassium hydroxide, salt carbonates, and phosphoric acid. Types and applications 381 cheng s, liu h, logan be 2006a increased performance of single chamber microbial fuel cells using an improved cathode structure. The result is an extremely short startup time and highly efficient fuel cells by sfc. This type of fuel cell is typically used for stationary power generation, but some pafcs have been used to power large vehicles such as city buses. Applications of fuel cells depend on the type of fuel cell to be used. Fuel cells do not need to be periodically recharged like batteries, but instead continue to produce electricity as long as a fuel source is provided.
There are several different types of fuel cells, each using a different chemistry. The fuel cells are intended to complement the existing diesel generator, which is used to deliver power to the three phase system and to charge the batteries used for the low. The materials used for electrolytes have their best conductance only within certain temperature ranges and thus other materials and thus other materials must. Most types of fuel cell cause much less emissions than classic caloric power generation. A fuel cell resembles a battery in many respects, but it can supply electrical energy over a much longer period of time. Further, the paper looks to introduce both the technical and economic issues facing the introduction of this technology. An important characteristic of a fuel cell is the type of electrolyte used.
Types history of the technology the fuel cell concept was first demonstrated by william r. Apr 27, 2020 most research into fuel cells has been centered around automobile applications, though they are also being researched for space exploration. Introduction to fuel cells fhiseminar december 14, 2004 timo jacob 1. Their site includes information on hydrogen and how fuel cells work. Hydrogen fuel cells the environmental literacy council. Grove utilized four cells, each containing hydrogen and oxygen, to produce electric power which was then used to split the water in the smaller upper cell into hydrogen and oxygen. Introduction to fuel cells characteristics fuel cell types fueling the fuel cell ammonia fuel cells advantages and challenges direct vs. Direct methanol fuel cells dmfc are a relatively new member of the fuel cell family. A fuel cell is a device that combines chemical energy from fuel with an oxidizing agent to produce electricity.
Comparative study of different fuel cell technologies. A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. The technology collaboration programme on the research, development and demonstration on advanced fuel cells advanced fuel cells technology collaboration programme, afc tcp functions within a framework created by the international energy agency iea. Types of fuel cells how fuel cells work howstuffworks. An introduction to fuel cell technology and economics. The author discusses voltage losses as the most crucial issue of fuel. Electrons travel back to the cathode where they combine with hydrogen ions and oxygen. Fuel cells are electrical batteries that are characterised by the active materials on the electrodes being replenished continuously. It is one of the most mature cell types and the first to be used commercially. Department of energys energy efficiency and renewable energy fuel cell technologies program fuel cell comparison chart. Molten carbonate fuel cells are mainly used in medium to largescale chp systems, and up to 1mw trial plants are currently under test. Sofcs are around 60% efficient at converting fuel to electricity.
At the cathode, the electrons combine with oxygen and. By joining a number of cells in series and parallel can provide any reasonable voltage and current. Fuel cells 2000 fuel cells 2000 is an educational organization formed to promote the development and early commercialization of fuel cells and related pollutionfree, efficient energy generation, storage and utilization technologies and fuels. Different types of fuel cells work with different electrochemical reactions. Some types of fuel cells work well for use in stationary power generation plants. This chapter deals with the main types of fuel cells, their relevant specific applications, and their most important features.
A mixture of methanol and water is introduced to the anode side by a patented internal watermanagement system. Wilder its first worth ones while to explore how five current types of fuel cell vary from one another, in key ways. Fuel cells can be divided into five major categories named after the electrolyte used in each. Basics of fuel cells, types of fuel cells, and various fuel cell applications learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. First fuel cellfirst fuel cell 3 in 1839, william grove, a british jurist and amateur physicist, first discovered the principle of the fuel cell. To overcome that challenge, scientists have developed microbial fuel cells in which microbes or enzymes break down the biomass. Also, fuel cells can use various fuels, for example, natural gas, methanol, lpg liquid petroleum gas, naphtha, kerosene etc. Pdf a fuel cell is a technology that converts chemical energy into electric energy. May 07, 2016 types of fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cell, advantages, applications slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. New type of fuel cell produces electricity directly from biomass.
Comparison of fuel cell technologies department of energy. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device a galvanic cell which converts free energy of a chemical reaction into electrical energy electricity. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Pdf comparative study of different fuel cell technologies. Contentscontents motivation overview over different fc types net reactions and ideal potentials nernst equation actual performance and energy losses atomistic view of electrodes double layer models potentials capacity model charge distribution problems for fuel cell modeling. This classification determines the kind of electrochemical 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.
Shipments by fuel cell type refer to the six main electrolytes used in fuel cells. But before highlighting differences, ponder a similarity among all. Fuel cells are mainly categorized by the type of electrolyte they use. Electrolysis setup by application of a voltage across the two electrodes, hydrogen and oxygen could. Each cell within the stack has two electrodes, one positive and one negative, called the cathode and the anode. Molten carbonate fuel cells are hightemperature fuel cells that offer significant cost reductions over phosphoric acid fuel cells. The fuel cell types addressed in this handbook have significantly different operating. Also referred to as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells employ porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst and a solid polymer as the electrolyte. Pdf a deep analysis of the fuel cells technologies state of the art has been done in this article.
An overview of fuel cells currently under development. The idea for this thesis was to design a specification of requirements for a fuel cell system for the electric power production in a 77foot sailing ship named ts prolific. Pafcs are more tolerant of impurities in fossil fuels that have been reformed into hydrogen than pem cells, which are easily poisoned by carbon monoxide because carbon. Electrolytes used in fuel cell technology can be either liquid or solid, leading to different design advantages and challenges. With various types of fuel cell technologies available, it is necessary to clarify which technology is best suited to a specific application. Types of fuel cells department of chemical engineering. Some types of fuel cells produce only water, which means no pollution.
Solid oxide fuel cells sofcs use a hard, nonporous ceramic compound as the electrolyte. Fuel cell, any of a class of devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity by electrochemical reactions. A fuel cell is composed of an anode, cathode, and an electrolyte membrane. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen usually from air to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually comes. An electrolyte in a fuel cell connects the fuel and oxidizer electrically while keeping them physically separate. A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel often hydrogen and an oxidizing agent often oxygen into electricity through a pair of redox reactions.
Fuel cells by vijay ramani fuel cells are electrochemical devices that directly convert chemical energy to electrical energy. One electrode called the anode facilitates electrochemical oxidation of fuel, while the other called the cathode promotes. There are several types of fuel cells currently under development, each with its. If the fuel cells of reasonably low cost and long life can be produced, a major use might be by electrical utilities for load leveling a long term. Fuel cells an introduction by jens oluf jensen, dtu and erik henneso, danish power systems dps version 2, 2017 what is a fuel cell. There are several different types of fuel cell but they are all based around a central design. In the1960s, international fuel cells in windsor connecticut developed a fuel cell power. Nernst equation for reactant species at equilibrium is. In applications designed to capture and utilize the systems waste heat cogeneration, overall fuel use efficiencies could top 85%. All fuel cells have the same basic configuration, an electrolyte and two electrodes, but there are different types of fuel cells, based mainly on what kind of electrolyte they use. This shows a summary of the different types of fuel cells.
Fuel cell systems are a clean, efficient, reliable, and quiet source of power. Fuel cells operating on biogas offer a pathway to renewable electricity generation. Fuel cell simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The cell he demonstrated was very simple, probably resembling this. Hydrogen fuel cells are pollutionfree and have greater efficiency than traditional combustion technology. Fuel cells are similar to batteries, but they differ from them mainly in that they are continually resupplied by the reagents consumed, typically oxygen and hydrogen. Reformed nh 3 other electrochemical applications high temperature fuel cell focus ammonia and solid oxide fuel cells protonic ceramic fuel cells. In 20 there were over 4,000 fuel cell forklifts used in material handling in the us, 125 of which 500 received funding from doe 2012. As long as fuel and oxygen are supplied to the fuel cell, energy production is continuous. Others may be useful for small portable applications or for powering cars. These contaminants include sulfur and carbon compounds, and residual liquid fuels depending on the type of fuel cell that can deactivate the fuel cell catahydrogen fuel cell engines and related technologies. A fuel cell forklift also called a fuel cell lift truck is a fuel cellpowered industrial forklift truck used to lift and transport materials. The five types resulted from the knowledge that heat accelerates chemical reaction rates and thus the electrical current.
202 152 1246 341 1369 1390 1183 1285 166 240 11 1487 1337 429 1132 1458 5 866 86 526 1416 996 395 758 90 824 83 230 1300 1258 1186 1442 939 1058 77 377 160