Lecture 9

Fuel Cell

Fuel Cell
- FCs are electrochemical devices that use chemical
reactions to produce electricity.
- They use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity.
- Hydrogen can be obtained from water and fossil fuels.
- A reformer process is required to separate hydrogen
from other materials.

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Fuel Cell
- Inside a reformer, a fossil fuel (natural gas and oil) such
as hydrocarbon (CH2) is chemically treated to produce
hydrogen.
- The process by-product is CO2 and CO which are
responsible for global worming and pollution.
- As CO is dangerous, CO-converter is used to add water
to convert CO to CO2 that vented in the air and H2 is
used by the FC.
- Other FC technologies are used without producing CO
and thus no converter is required.

Fuel Cell
- FCs have the same operating principals but come in
various configuration based on the gas used and
electrolyte.
- They work on different temperatures and start-up times.
- Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM) consists of:
1. anode,
2. cathode, and
3. electrolyte.

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Fuel Cell

PEM FC operation:
- Pressurized hydrogen enters the anode, which is a flat
plate with channels built into it to disperse hydrogen gas
over the surface of the catalyst (platinum).
- Catalyst causes two hydrogen gas atoms ( 2H 2 ) to oxidize
into 4 hydrogen ions ( 4 H + ) and 4 free electrons ( 4ε − ).
- The free electrons go to energize the load and then to the
cathode.

2 H 2 ⇒ 4 H + + 4ε −
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Fuel Cell

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Fuel Cell

PEM FC operation:
- The hydrogen ions pass through the electrolyte. When
the free electrons enter the cathodes, they react with the
oxygen from the outside air and hydrogen ions at the
cathode to form water. The water can be feedback to the
reformer and CO-converter.

O2 + 4 H + + 4ε − ⇒ 2 H 2O
- The FC overall reaction is:

2 H 2 + O2 ⇒ 2 H 2O + energy
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Fuel Cell

Ideal FC Modeling: a. Thermal process:
- In thermodynamics, energy is computed for a unit of
substance called “mole”.
- 1 mole contains 6.002x1023 entities (ions, electrons,…)
called Avogadro number ( NA= 6.002x1023/mol).

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Fuel Cell

Ideal FC Modeling: a. Thermal process:

G
G = H −Q & ηt =
H
Where;
G is the Gibbs free energy
H is the energy in the fuel -hydrogen- at the anode.
Q is the wasted heat to make water from hydrogen
and oxygen at the cathode.
ηt is the thermal efficiency
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Fuel Cell

Ideal FC Modeling: b. Electrical process:

qe = N A . q
Ne = 2 N A
qm = N e . q = I . t
Where;
qe is the electric charge in a mole
N e is the number of electrons released in FC per a
molecule of hydrogen gas
qm is the total charge of electrons released by 1 mol of
hydrogen.
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Fuel Cell

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Fuel Cell

Ideal FC Modeling: b. Electrical process:
E G
E = VIt = Vqm & V= =
qm qm
Where;
E is the electric energy
V is the voltage of a single FC in ideal condition

Actual FC Modeling:
The voltage of an actual FC is lower than the ideal FC
due to internal losses of the FC, and corrosion of the
electrodes.
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Fuel Cell Types and Applications

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Lecture 10
Environmental Impact of various
Power Plant Technologies

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Environmental Impact of various Power
Plants Technologies

Hydroelectric power plant:

- It does not emit any gas.
- It has the following impacts:
1. Flooding
2. Water flow
3. Mud
4. Oxygen reduction
5. Nitrogen
6. Fish
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Environmental Impact of various Power

Plants Technologies

Fossil Fuel power plant:

- When burning fossil fuel it releases:
1. Sulfur Oxides (SO2)
2. Nitrogen Oxides (NO2)
3. Affecting the Ozone (O3)
4. Create Acid Rain
5. Carbon Dioxides
6. Ashes
7. Bacteria in cooling towers.
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Environmental Impact of various Power
Plants Technologies

Nuclear power plant:

Public concern:

- Radioactive release during normal operation (BWR)

- Loss of coolant inside the reactor

- Reactor explosion

- Disposal of radioactive waste

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Environmental Impact of various Power

Plants Technologies

Wind power plant:

- Visual pollution
- Noise pollution and vibration
- Impact bird immigration and bird collisions
- Environmentally impacted
- Ice accumulation
- Sunlight flicker
- Voltage fluctuation
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 Environmental Impact of various Power
Plants Technologies

Solar power plant:

- Visual pollution

- The energy used to manufacture a solar cell is equal to

the total energy generated from that cell during its life time

- Environmentally impacted

- Use of batteries

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Environmental Impact of various Power

Plants Technologies

Biomass power plant:

- Garbage, agricultural waste, and tree products
accumulation in landfills (major health hazards, odors,
and contaminated underground water, ethanol
production and fire hazards).
- Ash produced from burning the biomass is ollected and
sent to landfills.
- Heavy metals are created.

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Environmental Impact of various Power
Plants Technologies

Geothermal Fuel Cell power plant:

- Built only in geothermal sites.
- High cost of drilling deep wells
- Odors and pollutant gases and minerals beside the
water

Fuel Cell power plant:

- Silent and no pollution
- Releasing more hydrogen that affects the ozone
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