Transcript Fuel Cells
Fuel Cells By: Rishab Pohane Pranav Subramanian Aayush Verma What is a fuel cell? ● “Electrochemical energy conversion device” ● Converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, heat, and water ● Similar to batteries, but never die o “Gas battery” How does it work? ● Convert chemical energy into electrical energy ● Fuel cells combine the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity (water is also produced) ● The hydrogen is usually in the form of a fuel while the oxygen is taken from the air ● Use electrical energy to do mechanical work ● Provide DC voltage to electrical appliances http://americanhistory.si.edu/fuelcells/images/fc_ani.gif Different Types of Fuel Cells ● Depends on electrolyte that is used. ● ● ● ● ● Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) Alkaline fuel cell (AFC) Phosphoric acid (PAFC) Molten carbonate (MCFC) Different Types of Fuel Cells Applications ● Best used where both heat and power are needed ● Provide electricity and drinking water for the astronauts ● Car engine Toyota Mirai Mars Flyer Advantages ● Clean energy (no pollution) ● Relatively simple maintenance o No moving parts ● Very long operating times ● Tolerant of varied temperatures ● Can be placed nearly anywhere ● Higher efficiency than oil or gasoline Comparisons Car Type Chemical Energy => Electrical Energy (% efficient) Electrical Energy => Mechanical Work(% efficient) Other Operations (% efficient) Overall Efficiency (%) Pure Hydrogen Fuel Cell 80 80 - 64 Gasoline Powered 35 42 - 15 Battery Powered 72 40 90 30 (can be 65) Disadvantages ● ● ● ● ● ● Pure hydrogen works best but gas needs to be enriched Large size and weight Expensive Not very durable Hard to maintain hydration Infrastructure not available Roadblocks ● Complex chemical process o Some fuel cells require the molecules traveling through the membrane to have full purity o Some fuel cells require pumps ● Energy company opposition ● Not economically viable yet o Not efficient enough to replace conventional methods of generating power Expenses ● $55/kWh Generating Cost ● $500B to create hydrogen infrastructure ● $4.50 per GGe from natural gas ● $6-11per GGe from renewable energy Target Market ● ● ● ● Automobiles Factories Cities Space programs Fuel cell used by NASA’s Space Shuttle Orbiter Future ● ● ● ● ● America’s oil dependence will continually increase Already 1 Billion spent on fuel cell research Fuel cell cost has dropped by 50 percent since 2006 7.2 M investment plan 2015 - Fuel cell cars Countries using Fuel Cells INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY ● Australia ● Brazil ● Canada ● China ● European Commission ● France ● Germany ● India ● Italy ● Japan ● Korea Payback Period ● ● ● ● 3 years Relatively large initial cost Consumer price for electricity cut using fuel cells More power generated than fossil fuel plant Why are fuel cells not common? ● Building fuel cells is not difficult BUT... ● ● ● ● Inexpensive Efficient Reliable .. that’s difficult Fun Fact Elon Musk says cars running on fuel cells are “extremely silly” Sources Cited ● ● ● ● http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/fuel_cells_power.html http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cell.htm http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/about-fuel-cells/benefits http://www.buildings.com/article-details/articleid/12974/title/fuel-cells-forclean-generation-and-short-payback.aspx ● http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/01/fuel-cell-economics-vs-batteries/ ● http://www.economist.com/topics/fuel-cells