Presentation on Fuel Cells

By :-
Arpan Gupta
7080710223
Introduction
 It is an electrochemical
device which convert
hydrogen and oxygen into
water producing electricity
and heat in the process.
 It is much like a battery that
can be recharged while you
are drawing power from it.
 It provides a DC voltage that
can be used to power
motors, lights and any
number of electrical
appliances.
The Invention of the Fuel Cell

 Sir William Grove invented the first fuel cell in 1839. Grove
knew that water could be split into hydrogen and oxygen by
sending an electric current through it (a process called
electrolysis). He hypothesized that by reversing the procedure
you could produce electricity and water. He created a primitive
fuel cell and called it a gas voltaic battery. After experimenting
with his new invention, Grove proved his hypothesis. Fifty years
later, scientists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer coined the
term fuel cell while attempting to build a practical model to
produce electricity
What is a fuel cell?

 A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy

conversion device. A fuel cell converts the
chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in
the process it produces electricity.
 A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a
chemical reaction. Every fuel cell has two electrodes,
one positive and one negative, called, respectively,
the cathode and anode. The reactions that produce
electricity take place at the electrodes
Why we need fuel cell?

Fuel cell provides an alternate efficient non

polluting power source that produces no
noise and has no moving parts.
It is expected that by 2050 the global energy
demand is going to rise by 2 to 3 times.
This calls for optimization of generation of
energy through well-known sources,
preferably renewable energy for commercial
exploitation.
Types of fuel cell

 Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)

 Phosphoric acid (PAFC)
 Solid Oxide (SOFC)
 Alkaline (AFC)
 Direct Methanol
 Molten Carbonate
PEM
Requirement for fuel cells

 Hydrocarbons
 Oxygen
 Water
 Hydrogen
 Carbon dioxide
 Carbon monoxide
 And hardware elements are
 Fuel processor or reformer
 Fuel cell
 Convertor
Alkali Fuel Cell
How fuel cells work ?

 Chemistry of fuel cell

At anode:-
2H  4H + 4e
2

At Cathode:-
O + 4H + 4e  2H O
2 2

NET REACTION

2H2 + O2  2H O
2
Advantages

 Fuel cell system are environmentally benign .

 High conversion efficiency .
 Extremely low emission.
 Noise less operations.
 Has no moving parts
Applications
 Fuel cells powered cars will start to
replace gas and diesel engine cars
in about 2055. .
 Fuel cell powered buses are
already running in several cities..
 This promising application will one
day even power our houses.
Applications

 Fuel cells also make

sense for portable
power like laptop
computers and
cellular phones.
 Telecommunications - With the use of computers, the Internet,
and communication networks steadily increasing, there comes a
need for more reliable power than is available on the current
electrical grid, and fuel cells have proven to be up to 99.999%
(five nines) reliable.  Fuel cells can replace batteries to provide
power for 1kW to 5kW telecom sites without noise or emissions,
and are durable, providing power in sites that are either hard to
access or are subject to inclement weather.  Such systems
would be used to provide primary or backup power for telecom
switch nodes, cell towers, and other electronic systems that
would benefit from on-site, direct DC power supply. 
Nokia mobile with fuel cell battery
Wheel chair powered by fuel cell
Toshiba mp3 with a fuel cell
Major organizations working in the
field

 Ministry of NCES
 IITs
 CSIR labs
 BHEL
 GAIL
 BARC
 MIT
Disadvantages

 Initial cost of installation is higher.

 Comparative cost of energy storage of fuel
cells is around twice that of conventional
sources of energy.
 Energy produced by one fuel cell is around
0.7 volts.
Recent development

 LLC, latham,NY has successfully developed

50 KW power plant.
 Fuel cell of capacity 1.5KW is powering
houses in Australia.
 GAIL is actively involved in establishing fuel
infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles in India.
 CECRI, karaikudi has developed and tested
MCFC stack.
Conclusion

 The above discussion prove the existence of huge

market for fuel cells.
 The commercial power units are technically feasible .
 Research and development should be aimed at
reducing cost and increasing life.
 Future cities can be planned on fuel cell systems for
their power and energy requirements.
Thank you