SUBJECT- FUEL CELL AND ITS APPLICATIONS

PREPARED BY:
 MAHARGHYA BISWAS
ROLL NO.- 024

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Fuel cell

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 What is fuel cell?
• A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical
energy from a fuel into electricity through a
chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen
ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.
• For a battery: the electrodes dissolve in the
chemical reaction. when they are gone, the
battery is dead.
• For a fuel cell: the electrodes are not consumed.
As long as fuel(hydrogen and oxygen) is supplied ,
the cell will generate a voltage: it won’t ‘run
down’.

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 Parts of a Fuel Cell
• Anode
• Negative post of the fuel cell.
• Conducts the electrons that are freed from the hydrogen molecules so that
they can be used in an external circuit.
• Etched channels disperse hydrogen gas over the surface of catalyst.
• Cathode
• Positive post of the fuel cell
• Etched channels distribute oxygen to the surface of the catalyst.
• Conducts electrons back from the external circuit to the catalyst
• Recombine with the hydrogen ions and oxygen to form water.

• Electrolyte
• Proton exchange membrane.
• Specially treated material, only conducts positively charged ions.
• Membrane blocks electrons.

• Catalyst
• Special material that facilitates reaction of oxygen and hydrogen
• Usually platinum powder very thinly coated onto carbon paper or cloth.
• Rough & porous maximizes surface area exposed to hydrogen or oxygen
• The platinum-coated side of the catalyst faces the PEM

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Parts Of A Fuel Cell

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 Fuel Cell Operation
• Pressurized hydrogen gas (H2) enters cell on anode side.
• Gas is forced through catalyst by pressure.
• When H2 molecule comes contacts platinum catalyst, it splits into
two H+ ions and two electrons (e-).
• Electrons are conducted through the anode
• Make their way through the external circuit (doing useful work such
as turning a motor) and return to the cathode side of the fuel cell.
• On the cathode side, oxygen gas (O2) is forced through the
catalyst
• Forms two oxygen atoms, each with a strong negative charge.
• Negative charge attracts the two H+ ions through the membrane,
• Combine with an oxygen atom and two electrons from the external
circuit to form a water molecule (H2O).

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Types Of Fuel Cell

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Fuel Cell Set up(Single Cell)

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 Single Cell
• A single fuel cell, as displayed in the
Figure in the last slide, produces the
power, which results from the area
times, the current density of the cell
times, the cell voltage. The typical
cell voltage under load conditions
amounts to 0.6 - 0.7 V, which is too
low for practical applications.

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It is therefore common practise to put a cell in series,
resulting in a so called fuel cell STACK

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 Application Of Fuel Cell Technology
• Cars
• Buses
• Space Travel and Exploration
• Airplanes
• Submarines
• Combined Heat and Power

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 Work Of Fuel Cell On CAR
• Hydrogen acts as fuel
• In place of Internal combustion engine here clean
pollution free fuel cell engine is present
• Hydrogen and compressed air pass to the fuel cell
stack
• Produced electricity of fuel cell is delivered to the
electrical drive system
• The drive system converts the electrical power to
mechanical energy
• Water vapour leaves from the car

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Fuel Cell CAR

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Fuel Cell Buses

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 Advantages Of Fuel Cell Vehicle
• Fuel cells have a higher efficiency than diesel or gas engines.
• Most fuel cells operate silently, compared to internal
combustion engines. They are therefore ideally suited for use
within buildings such as hospitals.
• Fuel cells can eliminate pollution caused by burning fossil
fuels; for hydrogen fuelled fuel cells, the only by-product at
point of use is water.
• If the hydrogen comes from the electrolysis of water driven by
renewable energy, then using fuel cells eliminates greenhouse
gases over the whole cycle.
• Reduced oil dependency from foreign

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 Disadvantages Of Fuel Cell
• Hydrogen is currently very expensive, not because it
is rare (it’s the most common element in the
universe!) but because it’s difficult to generate,
handle, and store, requiring bulky and heavy tanks
like those for compressed natural gas (CNG) or super-
cold liquid like liquefied natural gas (LNG).
• It can also be stored at moderate temperatures and
pressures in a tank containing a metal-hydride
absorber or carbon absorber, though these are
currently very expensive.

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 Challenges
• Only a few models are now available for sale
or lease, and availability is limited to areas
with hydrogen fuelling stations, mostly in
California.
• Challenges are how to increase hydrogen fuel
availability
• More production of fuel cell vehicle

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Fuel Cell System Cost Progress

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 Fuel Cell Vehicle Durability and
Reliability
• Fuel cell systems are not yet as durable as
internal combustion engines, especially in some
temperature and humidity ranges.
• On-road fuel cell stack durability is currently
about half of what is needed for
commercialization.
• Durability has increased substantially over the
past few years from 29,000 miles to 75,000 miles.
• But experts believe FCVs must achieve a 150,000-
mile expected lifetime to compete with gasoline
vehicles.

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 Conclusion
• With increasing energy need, the production and
use of fuels like petrol, diesel are in excess and
thus created many serious environmental
problems like air pollution, global warming, rising
sea level etc.
• Thus with the use of fuel cell vehicles, the above
mentioned problems can be reduced. To initiate
this type of idea, more fuel cells are to be
generated.
• Fuel cell vehicle can be used as an alternative to
create a pollution free environment.

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 References
• Book of Fuel Cells Principles and Applications
by B VISWANATHAN and M AULICE SCIBIOH
• www.fuelcelltoday.com
• www.fuelcelleconomy.gov
• http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcell
• www.nedstack.com
• www.altenergymag.com
• Wikipedia

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THANK YOU

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