FUEL cells

By Charu Lakshmi T.R Roll No:4 Sem III Materials science

Outline INTRODUCTION

: Save energy?? Fuel Cell

: Birth to kingdom (Types and benefits included)

The Dark side : limitations (+a controversy) References

TRE”fraud”NEY

BEWARE!!

Darker days are near

If this becomes right, her total right predictions will become three.Dumbledore might give her a price rise !!

Fuel ?? Cell?? Fuel cell??

Yes, as the name suggests , it is a cell which uses chemicals as fuel to give DC electricity.

But it is not a battery to go dead, as long as we supply fuel it gives us what we want

Fuel cell gives electricity as well as water and heat.

That is why it was used in space shuttles.

Fuel cell’s birth Sir William Groves is referred to as the

“Father of Fuel Cells” But the real credit goes to Alessandro Volta, the

inventor of electric cell It all began in 1839.

Working of fuel cell

Types of it

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEMFC)

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)

Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC)

Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC)

Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC)

Fuel cell on a ride

Maybe I should say ‘with a ride’

Fiction or science ??Verified performance in 140 fuel cell vehicles and 20 hydrogen stations:

• EFFICIENCY: 53 – 58% (>2x higher than gasoline internal combustion engines)

• RANGE: ~196 – 254 miles • FUEL CELL SYSTEM DURABILITY:

• 1977 hours, projected to 10% degradation (~59,500 miles)

• 1987 hours, observed, with more than 10% degradation (~59,500 miles)

BMW and Toyota jointly announced in January 2013 that they would be sharing a number of technologies and co-developing a fundamental fuel cell vehicle platform by 2020 – including not

only a fuel cell system, but also a hydrogen tank, electric motor and supporting battery system.

benefits !!

Highly reliable and requires minimal maintenance Runs on low noise Ensure continuous electrical supply Much less pollution than fossil-fuel power stations,especially if run on hydrogen. This means they can be sitedclose to population centers, which minimizes transmissionlosses. Even when fuelled with natural gas, the higherefficiency of fuel cells means the amount of carbon dioxideemitted per kilowatt-hour generated is significantly lowerthan conventional power generation

there sits the king !!

Even Robert Hooke who coined the word cell will be rudely surprised !!!

YDROGEN ON A

MISSION !!

Hydrogen can be stored in three different ways , as a gas, as liquid, as a materialThe aim is to have high energy density.Pressure storage : Pressure about 200 bars is to be applied. But car manufacturers are already using 700-900 bars hydrogen storage, giving an even higher energy density. However putting hydrogen under such pressure takes a lot of energyLiquid storage: When hydrogen is cooled down to -253 degrees Celsius it becomes liquid giving it a quite high energy density. However it takes a lot ofenergy to cool it down. It also takes a lot of technology to store thehydrogen at such a low temperature. Even with this coolingtechnology the hydrogen will still slowly boil off. Typically after 2weeks most hydrogen will disappear from the tank if not used beforethis.

Methanol storage: Methanol is a liquid alcohol containing hydrogen. It has half the energy density of gasoline, but it is already mass produced today and easy to distribute.

However methanol is toxic for humans, but with the right handling this danger can be controlled. Methanol might be the way hydrogen will be stored in the future. Research is being done to create reformers that can convert the methanol to hydrogen before entering the fuel cell.

FUEL CELL IN STAR bus

Fuel cell bus developed by TATA motors

UGLY TRUTH Hard to store , too heavy

Hydrogen can react with metals it’s stored in and cause leaks

Extreme Cost but beneficial in the long run If pure hydrogen isn’t used , clean low

carbon fuel is needed Experts agree that hydrogen can be

unpredictable and it can create explosions too.

Daily maintenance is not needed, but stack replacement is necessary( 5 years)

HYDROGEN Controversies

Hugo Eckener argued that the fire was started by an electric spark caused by a buildup of static electricity on the airship. The spark ignited hydrogen on the outer skin..

The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire

Challenger challenged to death

Culprit is hydrogen This is happened on Jan 28th 1986 in Florida .

This space shuttle got destroyed within two minutes of its take off seven crew members on board died.

REFERENCES FUELCELL TODAY AKSHAY URJA magazine cover story

: by M R NOUNI APRIL 2012 volume 5 issue 5

Thank you