FUEL CELLS

Sanju Tanwar
Assistant Professor
Centre of Nanotechnology
Rajasthan Technical University
KOTA

Fuel Cell Origins
William Grove of England in 1839
developed the first fuel cell
He combined gases to produce electricity
and water
Grove called it a gas battery

William Grove and his Gas Battery
William Grove's drawing of an experimental
"gas battery" from an 1843 letter

Image from Proceedings of the Royal Society
Literature Review - History
1839- First fuel cell designed by Sir
William Robert Grove.
1889-The term fuel cell was coined
by Ludwig Mond and Charles
Langer.
1913- Dr. Francis Thomas Bacon
created the first alkaline fuel cell
which he termed the Bacon Cell.
1960s- NASA uses fuel cells to
power their manned space missions
.

Fuel Cells and Energy
A fuel cell is an electrochemical
device that converts energy
produced from a chemical
reaction into electrical energy

This chemical reaction is not a
combustion process

Direct electrical power generation
Gnration directe dlectricit
Chemical energy Electrical energy
Thermal energy
Mechanical energy
Combustion
Generator
Heat engine
Fuel cell

How does the Fuel Cell operate? (battery comparison)
similar in converting chemical energy to electrical energy but
different in that
H
2
in
A batterys reactants
are self-contained
A fuel cells reactants
are supplied externally
H
2
out
Air in
Air out
- +
-
+
For a fuel cell
Chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never
goes dead.
As long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell,
the electricity flows out of the cell.
Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and
oxygen as the chemicals.
Similarities Between Fuel Cells
and Batteries
A fuel cell is very similar to a battery in that
a battery also converts chemical energy
to electrical energy

The electricity produced is DC

Both use an electrolyte to conduct ions


Fuel Cells and Batteries
Differences

A battery is an energy storage device
that has a fixed amount of chemical
energy

A fuel cell will keep producing electricity
as long as fuel is supplied

Fuel cell reactions do not degrade over
time

Fuel cells produce direct current, or
D/C, electricity.

Alternating current, or A/C, is the
electrical standard for most uses such as
home or building power.

Another device called a power inverter
is used to change the electricity from
D/C to A/C.
Converting DC to AC
Why The Interest After ~ 170 Years?

The growing dependence on oil puts us at
serious risk

Shipment interruption of oil for prolonged
time could disrupt the nation economy
(transport product, drive to work, fly to
meetings, heat and light homes and businesses)

We need alternative energy sources for
homeland security and fuel cells are one of
these sources

More Reasons Why

Air pollution and the environment

Burned gasoline produces poisonous carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and unburned
hydrocarbons that cause smog (ozone) and contribute
to climate change and increase in the planets
temperature

One burned gallon of gas releases around 6.5
pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (when
the entire fuel cycle, including production,
transportation, storage, and use are considered)
Fuel Cell Descriptions
Fuel Cells generate electricity through an
electrochemical process
In which the energy stored in a fuel is converted
directly into DC electricity.
Because electrical energy is generated without
combusting fuel, Fuel cells are extremely attractive
from an environmental stand point.
Attractive characteristics of
Fuel Cell
High energy conversion efficiency
Modular design
Very low chemical and acoustical pollution
Fuel flexibility
Cogeneration capability
Rapid load response
Fuels In a Fuel Cell
Most fuel cells commonly use hydrogen and
oxygen

Because hydrogen is not readily available, fuel
cell systems often include another system called
a fuel reformer or fuel processor that extracts
hydrogen from hydrocarbons such as natural
gas.

Operating principle
Fuel cells consist of an electrolyte material which
is sandwiched in between two thin electrodes
(porous anode and cathode).
The input fuel passes over the anode (and
oxygen over the cathode) where it catalytically
splits into ions and electrons.
The electrons go through an external circuit to
serve an electric load while the ions move
through the electrolyte toward the oppositely
charged electrode.
At the electrode, ions combine to create by-
products, primarily water and CO2. Depending
on the input fuel and electrolyte, different
chemical reactions will occur.

Efficiencies of Energy Systems
System Energy In Energy Out Efficien
cy %
Incandescent lamp Electrical Light 5
Fluorescent lamp Electrical Light 20
Solar cell Light Electrical 25
Automobile engine Chemical Mechanical 25
Nuclear Power Nuclear Electrical 30
Steam turbine Heat Mechanical 47
Fuel cell Chemical Electrical 60
Dry Cell battery Chemical Electrical 90
Electric generator Mechanical Electrical 99
VARIOUS TYPES OF FUEL CELLS
Four primary types
of fuel cells
They are based on the electrolyte employed:
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL CELL
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells -PAFCs
The most mature fuel cell technology in terms of
system development and commercialization
activities.
Has been under development for more than 20
years
Has received a total worldwide investment in the
development and demonstration of the technology
in excess of $500 million.
The PAFC was selected for substantial development
a number of years ago because of the belief that,
among the low temperature fuel cells, It was the
only technology which showed relative tolerance
for reformed hydrocarbon fuels and thus could
have widespread applicability in the near term.
PAFC Design and Operation
The PAFC uses liquid phosphoric acid as the
electrolyte.
The phosphoric acid is contained in a Teflon
bonded silicone carbide matrix.
The small pore structure of this matrix
preferentially keeps the acid in place through
capillary action.
Some acid may be entrained in the fuel or
oxidant streams and addition of acid may be
required after many hours of operation.
Platinum catalyzed, porous carbon electrodes
are used on both the fuel (anode) and oxidant
(cathode) sides of the electrolyte.
Fuel and oxidant gases are supplied to the backs of
the porous electrodes by parallel grooves formed
into carbon or carbon-composite plates.
These plates are electrically conductive and
conduct electrons from an anode to the cathode
of the adjacent cell.
In most designs, the plates are "bi-polar" in that they
have grooves on both sides - one side supplies fuel
to the anode of one cell, while the other side
supplies air or oxygen to the cathode of the
adjacent cell.
The byproduct water is removed as steam on the
cathode (air or oxygen) side of each cell by flowing
excess oxidant past the backs of the electrodes.
This water removal procedure requires that
the system be operated at temperatures
around 375
o
F (190
o
C).
At lower temperatures, the product water
will dissolve in the electrolyte and not be
removed as steam. At approximately 410
o
F
(210
o
C), the phosphoric acid begins to
decompose.
Excess heat is removed from the fuel cell
stack by providing carbon plates containing
cooling channels every few cells.
Either air or a liquid coolant, such as water,
can be passed through these channels to
remove excess heat.

Electrochemical reactions in PAFC
At the anode:
Hydrogen is split into two hydrogen ions (H
+
),
which pass through the electrolyte to the
cathode, and two electrons which pass
through the external circuit (electric load) to
the cathode.
At the cathode:
the hydrogen, electrons and oxygen combine
to form water.
Chemistry of a PAFC
Anode side:
2H
2
4H
+
+ 4e
-

Cathode side:
O
2
+ 4H
+
+ 4e
-
2H
2
O
Net reaction:
2H
2
+ O
2
2H
2
O
Electrochemical reactions in PAFC
PAFC Performance Characteristics
PAFC power plant designs show electrical efficiencies in the
range from 36% (HHV) to 42% (HHV).
The higher efficiency designs operate with pressurized
reactants.
The higher efficiency pressurized design requires more
components and likely higher cost.
PAFC power plants supply usable thermal energy at an
efficiency of 37% (HHV) to 41% (HHV).
A portion of the thermal energy can be supplied at
temperatures of ~ 250
o
F to ~ 300
o
F.
However, the majority of the thermal energy is supplied at
~150
o
F.
The PAFC has a power density of 160-175 watts/ft
2
of active
cell area
MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL
CELL
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells - MCFC
A molten carbonate salt mixture is used as its
electrolyte.
They evolved from work in the 1960's aimed at
producing a fuel cell which would operated
directly on coal.
While direct operation on coal seems less likely
today,
The operation on coal-derived fuel gases or
natural gas is viable.
Molten Carbonate Salt
used as Electrolyte in MCFC
A molten carbonate salt mixture is used as its
electrolyte.
The composition of the electrolyte (molten
carbonate salt mixture) varies, but usually consists
of lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate.
At the operating temperature of about 650
o
C
(1200
o
F), the salt mixture is liquid and a good ionic
conductor.
The electrolyte is suspended in a porous, insulating
and chemically inert ceramic (LiAlO
3
) matrix.
Reactions in MCFC
o The anode process involves a reaction between
hydrogen and carbonate ions (CO
3
=
) from the
electrolyte. The reaction produces water and
carbon dioxide (CO
2
) while releasing electrons to
the anode.

o The cathode process combines oxygen and CO
2

from the oxidant stream with electrons from the
cathode to produce carbonate ions which enter
the electrolyte.

o The need for CO
2
in the oxidant stream requires a
system for collecting CO
2
from the anode exhaust
and mixing it with the cathode feed stream.


Description of reactions in MCFCs
The anode process involves a reaction between
hydrogen and carbonate ions (CO
3
=
) from the
electrolyte.
The reaction produces water and carbon dioxide
(CO
2
) while releasing electrons to the anode.
The cathode process combines oxygen and CO
2

from the oxidant stream with electrons from the
cathode to produce carbonate ions which enter
the electrolyte.
The need for CO
2
in the oxidant stream requires a
system for collecting CO
2
from the anode exhaust
and mixing it with the cathode feed stream.
As the operating temperature increases,
the theoretical operating voltage for a fuel cell
decreases and with it the maximum theoretical fuel
efficiency.
On the other hand, increasing the operating
temperature increases the rate of the electrochemical
reaction and
Thus increases the current which can be obtained at a
given voltage.
The net effect for the MCFC is that the real operating
voltage is higher than the operating voltage for the
PAFC at the same current density.
The higher operating voltage of the MCFC means that
more power is available at a higher fuel efficiency from
a MCFC than from a PAFC of the same electrode area.
As size and cost scale roughly with electrode area, this
suggests that a MCFC should be smaller and less
expensive than a "comparable" PAFC.
As size and cost scale roughly with electrode area, this
suggests that a MCFC should be smaller and less expensive
than a "comparable" PAFC.
The MCFC also produces excess heat at a temperature which
is high enough to yield high pressure steam which may be fed
to a turbine to generate additional electricity.
In combined cycle operation, electrical efficiencies in excess
of 60% (HHV) have been suggested for mature MCFC systems.
The MCFC operates at between 1110F (600C) and 1200F
(650C) which is necessary to achieve sufficient conductivity
of the electrolyte.
To maintain this operating temperature, a higher volume of air
is passed through the cathode for cooling purposes.
As mentioned above, the high operating
temperature of the MCFC offers the possibility that it
could operate directly on gaseous hydrocarbon
fuels such as natural gas.
The natural gas would be reformed to produce
hydrogen within the fuel cell itself.
The need for CO
2
in the oxidant stream requires that
CO
2
from the spent anode gas be collected and
mixed with the incoming air stream.
Before this can be done, any residual hydrogen in
the spent fuel stream must be burned.
Future systems may incorporate membrane
separators to remove the hydrogen for recirculation
back to the fuel stream.
At cell operating temperatures of 650
o
C (1200
o
F) noble metal
catalysts are not required.
The anode is a highly porous sintered nickel powder, alloyed
with chromium to prevent agglomeration and creep at
operating temperatures.
The cathode is a porous nickel oxide material doped with
lithium.
Significant technology has been developed to provide
electrode structures which position the electrolyte with
respect to the electrodes and maintain that position while
allowing for some electrolyte boil-off during operation.
The electrolyte boil-off has an insignificant impact on cell
stack life.
A more significant factor of life expectancy has to
do with corrosion of the cathode.
The MCFC operating temperature is about 650
o
C
(1200
o
F).
At this temperature the salt mixture is liquid and is a
good conductor.
The cell performance is sensitive to operating
temperature.
A change in cell temperature from 650
o
C (1200
o
F)
to 600
o
C (1110
o
F) results in a drop in cell voltage of
almost 15%.
The reduction in cell voltage is due to increased
ionic and electrical resistance and a reduction in
electrode kinetics.
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL
The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) uses a ceramic,
solid-phase electrolyte which reduces corrosion
considerations and eliminates the electrolyte
management problems associated with the liquid
electrolyte fuel cells.
To achieve adequate ionic conductivity in such a
ceramic, however, the system must operate at
about 1000
o
C (1830
o
F).
At that temperature, internal reforming of
carbonaceous fuels should be possible, and the
waste heat from such a device would be easily
utilized by conventional thermal electricity
generating plants to yield excellent fuel efficiency.
It consists of three components - a cathode,
an anode, and an electrolyte sandwiched
between the two.
Oxygen from the air flows through the
cathode
A fuel gas containing hydrogen, such as
methane, flows past the anode.
Negatively charged oxygen ions migrate
through the electrolyte membrane react with
the hydrogen to form water,
The reacts with the methane fuel To form
hydrogen (H
2
) & carbon dioxide (CO
2
).
This electrochemical reaction generates
electrons, which flow from the anode to an
external load and back to the cathode, a final
step that both completes the circuit and
supplies electric power.

To increase voltage output, several fuel cells
are stacked together to form the heart of a
clean power generator.
PROTON EXCHANGE
MEMBRANE FUEL CELL
Also known as

Solid Polymer Fuel Cell (SPFC)
Polymer Electrolytic Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)
A solid membrane of organic material
(such as polystyrene sulphonic acid) that
allows H+ ions to pass through it, is used as
an electrolyte.
The desired properties of membrane are
i. High ionic conductivity
ii. Non-permeable to reactant gases, i.e.,
hydrogen and oxygen
iii. Low degree of electro osmosis
iv. High resistance to de-hydration
v. High resistance to its oxidation or
hydrolysis
vi. High mechanical stability

Basic components of the cell
A thin layer (about 0.076 cm thickness) of
the membrane is used to keep the
internal resistance of the cell as low as
possible.
Finely divided platinum deposited on
each surface of the membrane serves as
the elctrochemical catalyst and current
collector.
Hydrogen enters a closed compartment,
increases with negative electrode and
gets converted into H+ ions and equal no.
of electrons.


The H+ ions are transported to positive
electrode through the membrane and
electrons return to positive electrode
through external resistance.


At positive electrode, the ions, electrons
and oxygen interact o produce water.

Thus the overall reaction is


On the positive electrode, the coolant
tubes run through the ribs of current
collectors. The current collectors also hold
wicks, which absorb water, produced in
electrochemical reaction and carry it
over by capillary action.

Water leaves the oxygen compartment
through an exit.

The cell operate at 40-60 degree C. the
ideal emf produced is 1.23 V at 25 degree
C.
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell
In modified version of PEMFC methanol is
used directly without reforming , instead
of pure hydrogen.
This is known as DMFC.
Storage of methanol is much easier than
that of hydrogen because it does not
need to be done at high pressures or low
temperatures.
Chemical reactions:
Anode CH
3
OH + H
2
O CO
2
+ 6H
+
+ 6e
-

Cathode 1.5O
2
+ 6H
+
+ 6e
-
3H
2
O
Net reaction CH
3
OH + 1.5O
2
CO
2
+ 2H
2
O

CH3OH + H2O CO2 + 6H+ + 6e-
Eo = 0.046 V
(electro-oxidation of methanol)
Driven Load
Anode Cathode
Methanol + Water
Carbon Dioxide
Anode
Diffusion
Media
Anode
Catalyst
Layer
e- e-
H+
H+
H+
Oxygen
Water
Acidic Electrolyte
Solid Polymer
Electrolyte: PEM
(Proton Exchange
Membrane)
Cathode
Catalyst
Layer
Cathode Diffusion
Media
3/2O2 + 6H+ + 6e- 3H2O
Eo = 1.23 V
Overall Reaction
CH3OH + 3/2O2 +H2O CO2 + 3H2O Ecell = 1.18
V
Acidic electrolytes are usually
more advantageous to aid
CO2 rejection since insoluble
carbonates form in alkaline
electrolytes
Advantages of DMFC Technology
Longer membrane lifetime due to operating in
aqueous environment
Reactant humidification is not required

Compared to H
2
Systems with Methanol Reformer
Low operating temperature of DMFC results in
low thermal signature
DMFC system has faster start-up and load
following
DMFC system is simpler and has lower weight
and volume
Can use existing infrastructure for gasoline
Status of DMFC Technology
Large number of companies working on DMFC
technology for consumer applications
Commercialization of DMFCs for cell phones and
laptops expected within 2-3 years
Cost of DMFCs is coming down, and becoming
competitive with Li batteries
DIFFICULTIES IN DMFC


POOR ANODE KINETICS

FUEL CROSSOVER

ELECTROCATALYSTS




Challenges for DMFC Commercialization
COST Cost of stacks DECREASE OF NOBLE METAL LOADINGS
Utilization Stability
Template synthesised CNT as the
support for Pt, Pt-Ru, Pt-MoO
3
Present objective
Overall objective:
Reduce catalyst cost for direct methanol fuel cells
CNT: Concentric shells of graphite rolled into a cylinder
High Temperature
Why Supported Catalyst?
What is the support?
How to choose better
Support ?
THE PROMISE OF NANOTUBES SUPPORT
Single walled nanotubes are
only a few nanometers in
diameter and up to a
millimeter long.
High conductivity.
High accessible surface area.
High dispersion.
Better stability.

Why Nitrogen containing carbon
nanotubes?
Good electronic conductivity.
Electronic structure and band gap can be tuned by varying the
nitrogen content .
Addition of nitrogen increases the conductivity of the material by
raising the Fermi level towards the conduction band .
Catalytic properties of the surface are determined by the position of
the Fermi level of the catalyst. Consequently Fermi level acts as a
regulator of the catalytic activity of the catalyst.
The nitrogen functionality in the carbon nanotube support
determines the the size of Pt by bonding with lone pairs of
electrons at the nitrogen site.
Pt bound strongly to nitrogen sites so sintering doesnt takes place.
The increased electron donation from nitrogen bound carbon
nanotubes to Pt might be responsible for enhancement in kinetics
of methanol oxidation.

63
PVP
N=12.9 %
PPY
N=21.2%
PVI
N=33.0%
PPP
N= 0%
Present work
Synthesis Of Nitrogen containing carbon
nanotubes
NITROGEN CONTAINING POLYMERS
64
impregnation
Polymer solution
ALUMINA MEMBRANE
carbonization
48 % HF
24 HRS
CNT

Schematic Diagram
Polymer
65
SYNTHESIS OF PVP-CNT
Carbonization Ar atm
48% HF 24 hrs
PVP
In
DCM
PVP/alumina
Alumina membrane
CNT
PVP

Carbonization apparatus
67
SEM PICTURE OF PVP -CNT
(a) The top view of the CNTs.
(b) The lateral view of the well aligned CNTs ( Low magnification) .
SEM PICTURE OF PVP -CNT
SEM PICTURE OF PVP -CNT
(c) The lateral view of the well aligned CNTs ( High magnification) .
70
HR-TEM images of carbon nanaotubes obtained by the carbonisation of
polyvinyl pyrolidone (a-b) Carbonisation at 1173 K, 4hrs
TEM PICTURES OF PVP -CNT
200nm
Loading of catalyst inside nanotubes
73mM H
2
PtCl
6

12 hrs
H
2
823 K
3 hrs
48% HF 24 hrs
TEM PICTURE OF Pt/CNT
EDX spectrum
TEM PICTURE OF Pt/CNT

Ultrasonicated, 30 min

Dispersion (10 l) / Glassy Carbon (0.07 cm
2
)
Dried in air

5 l Nafion (binder)
Solvent evaporated

ELECTRODE
10 mg CNT/ 100 l water
Electrode Fabrication

Conclusions
1. The template aided synthesis of carbon nanotubes using polymer as a
carbon source yielded well aligned carbon nanotube with the pore
diameter matching with the template used.
2. The higher electrochemical surface area of the CNT and the highly
dispersed catalytic particles may be responsible for the better utilization
of the catalytic particles. The tubular morphology might be the reason for
the better dispersion.
3. The higher activity of the nitrogen containing carbon nanotube catalyst
suggest that the Nitrogen present in the carbon nanotube (after
carbonisation) plays an important role not only in the dispersion, but also
in increasing the hydrophilic nature of the catalyst.

4. There is a correlation between the catalytic activity of the carbon nanotube
electrode material and the nitrogen concentration (at%). Future work will
be focused on ways to enrich the N content on the surface of CNT
supports.
Electrochemical Principles
The enthalpy of the reactants entering the
system should match the sum of the enthalpies
of the products leaving the cell, the net heat
generated within the system, the dc power
output from the cell, and the heat loss from the
cell to its surroundings.

The energy balance analysis is done by
determining the fuel cell temperature at the exit
by having information of the reactant
composition, the temperatures, H2 and O2
utilization, the power produced, and the heat
loss from the cell to its surroundings.
The fuel cell reaction (inverse of the electrolysis
reaction) is a chemical process that can be divided
into two electrochemical half-cell reactions. The
most simple and common reaction encountered in
fuel cells is (Atkins 1986)
H2 + O2 = H2O
The standard free energy change of the fuel cell
reaction is indicated by the equation
G = nFE
Where G is the free energy change, n is the number
of moles of electrons involved, E is the reversible
potential, and F is Faradays constant.

The Nernst equation is a representation of the
relationship between the ideal standard potential
E0 for the fuel cell reaction and the ideal
equilibrium potential E at other temperatures and
pressures of reactants and products.
The enthalpy change H for a fuel cell reaction
indicates the entire heat released by the reaction
at constant pressure. The fuel cell potential in
accordance with H is defined as the thermo-
neutral potential, Et,
H = nFEt
where Et has a value of 1.48 V for the reaction
represented by Equation 2.1.
The ideal performance of a fuel cell can
be represented in different ways. The most
commonly used practice is to define it by
the Nernst potential represented as the
cell voltage.

The fuel cell reactions corresponding to
the anode and cathode reactions and
the corresponding Nernst equations are
given in table:


Electrical energy is obtained from a fuel cell when a
current is drawn, but the actual cell potential is
lowered from its equilibrium potential because of
irreversible losses due to various reasons.
Several factors contribute to the irreversible losses in
a practical fuel cell. The losses, which are generally
called polarization or over potential, originate
primarily from activation polarization, ohmic
polarization, and gas concentration polarization
(Chase et al. 1985).
These losses result in a cell potential for a fuel cell
that is less than its ideal potential.
Thermodynamic Principles
The effect of temperature and pressure on the cell
potential may be analysed on the basis of the
Gibbs free energy variation with respect to
temperature and pressure in a fuel cell.
This may be written as



where V is the change in volume, S is the entropy
change, E is the cell potential, T the temperature, P
the reactant gas pressure, n the number of electrons
transferred, and F Faradays constant.

Fuel Cell Efficiency
The thermal efficiency of an energy
conversion device is defined as the
amount of useful energy produced
relative to the change in stored chemical
energy (commonly referred to as thermal
energy) that is released when a fuel is
reacted with an oxidant. Hence the
efficiency may be defined as
Fuel cell applications

Transportation (cars, buses, recreation
vehicles)

Mobile, small size (laptops, cellular phones,
hearing aids, heart pacemakers)

Stationary, power generation: generators for
homes (can also heat the house and the water
tank), back-up power for hospitals and
factories, power plants

Fuel cell applications (3 main
categories)
Fuel Cells For Transportation

In transportation applications the inverter
to AC in not needed

When hydrogen is available the reformer
is not needed
Factors Promoting Fuel Cell
Applications in Cars
If just 10% of cars used fuel cells, US oil imports could be
reduced by over 100 million barrels per year, andmore
than 1 million tons of air pollutants

Fuel cell vehicles are 70-90% cleaner than gasoline
vehicles and produce 70% fewer carbon dioxide emissions

When fuel is pure hydrogen, fuel cell can provide
pollution-free energy (water and heat, in addition to
electricity)

Driving 10,000 miles per year in a car releases
approximately 8,000 pounds of CO
2
Factors Influencing Fuel Cells
Carbon Neutral A growing movement primarily
in western countries promoting a lifestyle that on
balance does not add carbon to the environment

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations -assigning
mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions to the signatory nations

President Bushs Twenty in Ten Plan mandatory
standards to raise production of renewable fuels
to 35 billion gallons per year by 2017

Summary
A fuel cell is a battery that produces DC
current and voltage
Most fuel cells use hydrogen which burns
cleaner compared to hydrocarbon fuels
A fuel cell will keep producing electricity as
long as fuel is supplied
The energy efficiency of fuel cells is high when
compared to many other energy systems
There is great interest in fuel cells for
automotive and electronic applications
There will be employment for technicians
particularly in Ohios fuel cell industry.

Cell phones that dont quit in mid conversation
because the batteries have died

Laptop computers that run all day without power
cords

Efficient automobiles that emit virtually no
nitrogen oxide or hydrocarbon pollutants





Tiny self-powered gas sensors built on integrated
circuits

Home electrical systems that keep working even if
the power grid fails

Sensors, electronic weapons, and communication
gear for soldiers in the field

Replacement for Li ion batteries in portable
electronic devices