Fuel cell

2H2 + O2 2H2O + 2e-

Fuel Cell Basics

• 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.
• Hydrogen and Oxygen react to form water and free
electrons which conducts electricity. But for the
purpose of electricity production hydrogen gas is
required which needs to be commercially produced.
• Every fuel cell also has an electrolyte, which carries
electrically charged particles from one electrode to the
other, and a catalyst, which speeds the reactions at the
electrodes.
• Hydrogen is the basic fuel, but fuel cells also
require oxygen. One great appeal of fuel cells is
that they generate electricity with very little
pollution—much of the hydrogen and oxygen
used in generating electricity ultimately combine
to form a harmless byproduct, namely water.

• One detail of terminology: a single fuel cell

generates a tiny amount of direct current (DC)
electricity. In practice, many fuel cells are usually
assembled into a stack.
 Fuel Cell Technology
• A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel
with oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water. The fuel cell is
similar to a battery in that an electrochemical reaction takes place as
long as fuel is available. The hydrogen fuel is stored in a pressurized
container and oxygen is taken from the air. Because of the absence of a
burning process, there are no harmful emissions, and the only by-
product is pure water.

• Fundamentally, a fuel cell is electrolysis in reverse, using two

electrodes separated by an electrolyte. The anode (negative electrode)
receives the hydrogen and the cathode (positive electrode) collects the
oxygen. A catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen into positively
charged hydrogen ions and electrons; the oxygen is ionized and
migrates across the electrolyte to the anodic compartment, where it
combines with hydrogen. A single fuel cell produces 0.6–0.8V under
load. To obtain higher voltages, several cells are connected in series.
 How do fuel cells work?
• The purpose of a fuel cell is to produce an electrical current that can be
directed outside the cell to do work, such as powering an electric motor
or illuminating a light bulb or a city.
• Because of the way electricity behaves, this current returns to the fuel
cell, completing an electrical circuit
• The chemical reactions that produce this current are the key to how a
fuel cell works.
• There are several kinds of fuel cells, and each operates a bit differently.
But in general terms, hydrogen atoms enter a fuel cell at the anode
where a chemical reaction strips them of their electrons.
• The hydrogen atoms are now "ionized," and carry a positive electrical
charge. The negatively charged electrons provide the current through
wires to do work.
• If alternating current (AC) is needed, the DC output of the fuel cell must
be routed through a conversion device called an inverter.
• Oxygen enters the fuel cell at the cathode and, in some cell
types, it there combines with electrons returning from
the electrical circuit and hydrogen ions that have
traveled through the electrolyte from the anode. In
other cell types the oxygen picks up electrons and then
travels through the electrolyte to the anode, where it
combines with hydrogen ions.

• The electrolyte plays a key role. It must permit only the

appropriate ions to pass between the anode and cathode. If
free electrons or other substances could travel through the
electrolyte, they would disrupt the chemical reaction.
• Whether they combine at anode or cathode, together
hydrogen and oxygen form water, which drains from
the cell. As long as a fuel cell is supplied with hydrogen
and oxygen, it will generate electricity.

• Even better, since fuel cells create electricity

chemically, rather than by combustion, they are not
subject to the thermodynamic laws that limit a
conventional power plant. Therefore, fuel cells are
more efficient in extracting energy from a fuel. Waste
heat from some cells can also be harnessed, boosting
system efficiency still further.
 Advantages of Fuel Cell
• 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.
• Fuel cells do not need conventional fuels such as oil or gas and can therefore reduce economic
dependence on oil producing countries, creating greater energy security for the user nation.
• Since hydrogen can be produced anywhere where there is water and a source of power, generation
of fuel can be distributed and does not have to be grid-dependent.
• The use of stationary fuel cells to generate power at the point of use allows for a decentralised
power grid that is potentially more stable.
• Low temperature fuel cells (PEMFC, DMFC) have low heat transmission which makes them ideal for
military applications.
• Higher temperature fuel cells produce high-grade process heat along with electricity and are well
suited to cogeneration applications (such as combined heat and power for residential use).
• The maintenance of fuel cells is simple since there are few moving parts in the system
 Disadvantage of fuel cell
• Expensive: In the past, fuel cells were large and extremely
expensive to manufacture, just as the first calculators and
computers were. But, just like these products, the cost of fuel cells
will quickly come down to consumer-affordable levels with mass
production. We are currently in a transition period now, where
many fuel cell companies are investing literally hundreds of millions
of dollars to gear up for mass manufacturing at the same time they
are trying to begin to develop a variety of markets for their product.
• Transportation and storage of hydrogen: Currently, there is no
hydrogen infrastructure to supply coast-to-coast delivery of
hydrogen fuel. Technologies are being developed to provide
alternative fuel storage and delivery methods. Onboard fuel storage
and conversion solutions are being developed but they are still
years from being perfected.
 Types of Fuel Cell
1. Polymer membrane electrolyte (PEM) fuel cells

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells provide high power density and the
advantages of low weight and volume compared to other types of fuel cells. Also
referred to as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, polymer electrolyte membrane
fuel cells employ porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst and a solid
polymer as the electrolyte. In order for the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
to operate, hydrogen, water and oxygen from air are required. Polymer electrolyte
membrane fuel cells are typically fueled with pure hydrogen supplied from onboard
reformers or storage tanks.
PEM fuel cells operate at relatively low temperatures, around 80°C (176°F). Low-
temperature operation allows them to start quickly (less warm-up time) and results
in less wear on system components, resulting in better durability. However, it
requires that a noble-metal catalyst (typically platinum) be used to separate the
hydrogen's electrons and protons, adding to system cost.
 Types of Fuel Cell
2. Solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) use a hard, non-porous ceramic compound as
the electrolyte. SOFCs are around 60% efficient at converting fuel to
electricity. In applications designed to capture and utilize the system's waste
heat (co-generation), overall fuel use efficiencies could top 85%.
SOFCs operate at very high temperatures—as high as 1,000°C (1,830°F).
High-temperature operation removes the need for precious-metal catalyst,
thereby reducing cost. It also allows SOFCs to reform fuels internally, which
enables the use of a variety of fuels and reduces the cost associated with
adding a reformer to the system.
SOFCs are also the most sulfur-resistant fuel cell type; they can tolerate
several orders of magnitude more sulfur than other cell types can.
 Types of Fuel Cell
3. Integrated gasifier fuel cells(IGFC)

• Lower-temperature fuel cell types such as the proton exchange

membrane fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell, and alkaline fuel
cell require pure hydrogen as fuel, typically produced from
external reforming of natural gas. However, fuels cells operating at high
temperature such as the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are not poisoned by
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and in fact can accept hydrogen,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, and methane mixtures as fuel
directly, because of their internal shift and reforming capabilities. This
opens up the possibility of efficient fuel cell-based power cycles
consuming solid fuels such as coal and biomass, the gasification of which
results in syngas containing mostly hydrogen, carbon monoxide and
methane which can be cleaned and fed directly to the SOFCs without the
added cost and complexity of methane reforming, water gas shifting and
hydrogen separation operations which would otherwise be needed to
isolate pure hydrogen as fuel.
• A power cycle based on gasification of solid fuel and SOFCs is called an