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CH 105+ +electrochemistry 6+Fuel+Cells
CH 105+ +electrochemistry 6+Fuel+Cells
This lecture
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Electrochemistry
• Chemistry Principles and Reactions
by Masterton and Hurley
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Topics
• Fuel Cells
Outline
• Introduction to Fuel Cells
• B
Benefits of Using Fuel Cells
fit f U i F l C ll
• How Fuel Cells Work
• Fuel Cell Systems
• Types of Fuel Cells
• Applications
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Introduction to Fuel Cells
• A fuel cell is a device that uses hydrogen (or
hydrogen rich fuel) and oxygen to create electricity
hydrogen rich fuel) and oxygen to create electricity
by an electrochemical process.
• If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, fuel cells emit only
heat and water as a byproduct.
• Current applications: power passenger vehicles,
commercial buildings, homes, and laptop computers.
Why We Want to Use Fuel Cells?
• Environmental concern of using fossil
fuel (e.g. poisonous emissions)
• Oil crises
• Global warming
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Benefits of Using Fuel Cells
• They produce much small quantities of greenhouse
gases that contribute to global warming.
• None of the air pollutants that create smog and
cause health problems.
• If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, ONLY heat and
f h d d f l h d
water are emitted.
How Fuel Cells Work
• A fuel cell is a device that uses hydrogen (or
hydrogen rich fuel) and oxygen to create electricity
hydrogen‐rich fuel) and oxygen to create electricity
by an electrochemical process.
• A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte
sandwiched between two thin electrodes (a porous
anode and cathode)
anode and cathode).
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General Principle
• Hydrogen, or a hydrogen‐rich fuel, is fed to the anode where a
catalyst separates hydrogen’ss negative charged electrons from
catalyst separates hydrogen negative charged electrons from
positively charged ions (protons).
• At the cathode, oxygen combines with electrons and, in some
cases, with species such as protons or water, resulting in
water or hydroxide ions, respectively.
• The electrons from the anode side of the cell cannot pass
through the membrane to the positively charged cathode;
through the membrane to the positively charged cathode;
they must travel around it via an electrical circuit to reach the
other side of the cell.
• This movement of electrons is an electrical current.
Fuel Cell Systems
• Most fuel cell systems consist of FOUR basic
components:
– A fuel processor
– An energy conversion device (the fuel cell or fuel
cell stack)
– A current converter
– Heat recovery system (typically used in high‐
Heat recovery system (typically used in high
temperature fuel cell systems used for stationary
applications)
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Fuel Cell System Components
OXYGEN (AIR)
FUEL INVERTER
HEAT HYDROGEN DC POWER AC POWER
FUEL INPUT
REFORMER
RICH GAS CELL OUTPUT OUTPUT
STACK
WATER
Fuel Processor
• It converts fuel into a form useable by the fuel cell.
• If hydrogen is fed to the system, a processor may not
be required or it may only be needed to filter
impurities out of the hydrogen gas.
• If the system is powered by a hydrogen‐rich
conventional fuel such as methanol gasoline diesel
conventional fuel such as methanol, gasoline, diesel,
or gasified coal, a reformer is typically used to
convert hydrocarbons into a gas mixture of hydrogen
and carbon compounds called “reformate”.
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Current Converter and Conditioner
• The purpose is to adapt the electrical current from the fuel
cell to suit the electrical needs of the application.
ll t it th l t i l d f th li ti
• Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of direct current
(DC). If the fuel cell is used to power equipment using
alternating current (AC), the direct current will have to be
converted to alternating current.
• Power conditioning includes controlling current flow
(amperes), voltage, frequency, and other characteristics of the
electrical current to meet the needs of the application.
Heat Recovery System
• Not primarily used to generate heat.
• Used to recover energy (from those that operate at
high temperatures such as solid oxide and molten
carbonate systems) to be used to produce steam or
hot water or converted or electricity via a gas turbine
or other technology.
• This increases the overall energy efficiency of the
systems.
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Types of Fuel Cells
• Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM)
• Ph h i A id
Phosphoric Acid
• Direct Methanol
• Alkaline
• Molten Carbonate
• Solid Oxide
• Regenerative (Reversible)
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM)
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PEM
• Also called SPEFC (Solid Polymer Electrolyte Fuel
Cells)
• Use a proton exchange membrane as an electrolyte.
• Low temperature fuel cells (85‐1050C)
• Nafion® membranes (developed by DuPont) consists
of a polyterrafluoreethylene (PTFE) based structure
Direct Methanol
• Powered by pure methanol, which is mixed with
steam and fed directly to the fuel cell anode
steam and fed directly to the fuel cell anode.
• Do not have the fuel storage problems because
methanol has a higher energy density than hydrogen.
• Methanol is also easier to transport and supply to
the public, since it is a liquid.
• Is a relatively new (~3‐4 years behind that of other
I l i l ( 34 b hi d h f h
fuel cell types)
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Alkaline
Molten Carbonate
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Regenerative (Reversible)
• Produce electricity from hydrogen and oxygen and
generate heat and water as byproducts.
• Can also use electricity from solar power or some
other source to divide the excess water into oxygen
and hydrogen fuel ‐‐ this process is called
“electrolysis”.
• Relatively young fuel cell technology.
• Developed by NASA and others.
Comparison: Reactions
Fuel Cell Acronym Temp. Anode Cathode
range (°C) R ti
Reaction Reaction
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Applications and Power Range
Fuel Cell Applications Realized Power
AFC Small pplants
(Alkaline) Transportation 5-150kW modular
PEMFC Space Small plants
(Polymer Electrolyte Military 5-250kW modular
Membrane) Energy storage systems
DMFC Small plants
(Direct Methanol) 5kW modular
PAFC Combined heat and power for Small – medium
(Phosphoric Acid) decentralized stationary power sized plants
systems 50kW-11MW
MCFC Combined heat and power for Small power plants
(Molten Carbonate) decentralized systems and for 100kW-2MW
SOFC transportation (trains, boats, …) Small power plants
(Solid Oxide) 100-250kW
Applications
Power Generation/Conversion
Fuel Cell Car
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