Hydrogen as

fuel
Preface

Our prosperity as a nation depends upon the students. The aim

of preparing such project report is to enable us to gain a sound
knowledge about the topic. Every effort has been made to
present the project in simple form. Our main objective is to
prepare the needy project report for the teaching aid purpose
and then it makes understanding more effective and
worthwhile. We do not claim the work as perfect but hoping
that it will serve the purpose in good condition.
Acknowledgement
A student is a letter on which no address is written. This shows that student have no

direction without guidance.

I pay my profound great fullness and express my indebtedness to the esteemed Mr. M

Sreedhar ( Lect. Mechanical Engg) and all my lecturers of the department of the

Mechanical Engineering for getting useful information and guidance in the project

report and particularly for their encouragement during making of this report.

Overall the credit of completion of this project report goes Mr. M Sreedhar for his

valuable suggestions and helping me in removing the difficulties in preparing time.

My thanks are also to my friends who directly and indirectly provided their esteemed

corporation that made it possible to see light of day.

Content
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Literature Review
 Problem Definition
 Outline of the Project

Chapter 1
 Introduction of the electrolysis.
 Fuel cell- Introduction
 Fuel cell technologies
 Study of different Fuel cell

Chapter 2
 Conceptual design
 Electrolysis Equipment
 Fuel Cell
 Design
 Electrolysis equipment
 PEM Fuel Cell design
 Alkali Fuel Cell Design

Chapter 3
 Work done
 Functional design of Electrolysis Equipment
 Design Calculation
 Working model
 Design of Fuel cell

Chapter 4
 Scope and Future
 References
 Abstract
The whole study is all about the hydrogen as an alternate fuel.
There are various types of fuels which are available which can
be used as alternative fuels. Some of them are as follows
Ethanol
Natural Gas
Propane
Hydrogen
Bio-Diesel
Electricity
Methanol.

I am using Hydrogen as an alternative fuel. First we will extract

Hydrogen from water using the process of electrolysis and then
we will use this amount of hydrogen in a fuel cell to generate
electricity which can be used in various applications.
Introduction
There are number of projects on mechanical engineering but I am choosing the
topic of my project as alternative fuels (Hydrogen as fuel).

Benefits:-
 These sources are being continuously produced in nature

 They are not exhaustible.

 The sources give energy continuously.

 Reduce our dependence on imported fuels

 Improve the environment

 Drive economic growth

Limitation:-
 it is very difficult to establish a method of extraction of energy from these

method but not impossible.

 Some of them are not easy to handle.

 Storage
Literature Review
Hydrogen does not naturally exist in its elemental form on Earth. Pure hydrogen must be produced from

other hydrogen-containing compounds such as fossil fuels, biomass, or water.

Different ways of producing Hydrogen

Production from

 From hydrocarbons

 Steam reforming

 Partial oxidation

 Coal

 From water

 Electrolysis and thermolysis

 Bio hydrogen routes

 Fermentative hydrogen production

 Enzymatic Bio hydrogenizes

 Bio catalyzed electrolysis

From Hydro carbon
Steam reforming

Bulk hydrogen is usually produced by the steam reforming of methane or natural gas . At high

temperatures (700–1100 °C), steam (H2O) reacts with methane (CH4) to yield syngas.

CH4 + H2O → CO + 3 H2

Gasification

In a second stage, further hydrogen is generated through the lower-temperature water gas

shift reaction, performed at about 130 °C:

CO + H2O → CO2 + H2

Partial oxidation

Coal

Coal can be converted into syngas and methane, also known as town gas, via coal

gasification. Syngas consists of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

From Water
 Electrolysis and thermolysis
Hydrogen is produced on an industrial scale by the electrolysis of water. While this
can be done with a few volts in a simple apparatus like a Hofmann voltameter.

Water spontaneously dissociates at around 2500 C, but this thermolysis occurs at

temperatures too high. Catalysts are required to reduce the dissociation
temperature.
Problem definition

To generate the Hydrogen by using electrolysis process and the use of the
hydrogen for various applications (alternative fuel) with the effective method
and design of fuel cell.
 Outline of the project
Chapter1
Introduction of the electrolysis
Fuel cell- Introduction
Fuel cell technologies
Study of different Fuel cell
Chapter2
Conceptual design
Electrolysis Equipment
Fuel Cell
Design
Electrolysis equipment
PEM Fuel Cell design
Alkali Fuel Cell Design
Chapter 3
Work done
Functional design of Electrolysis Equipment
Design Calculation
Design of Fuel cell
Chapter 4
Scope and Future
Chapter 1
1. Introduction of the electrolysis of water.
2. Fuel cell- Introduction
3. Fuel cell technologies

Introduction of the electrolysis.

Electrolysis involves the separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen, using an
electric current. Electrolysis separates water into its constituent elements--hydrogen
and oxygen--by charging water with an electrical current.
Main components of electrolysis equipment are as
An electrolyte
Two electrodes
DC Power Supply
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.
Working
Types of Fuel Cell
 Polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
 Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)
 Alkaline fuel cell (AFC)
 Molten-carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
 Phosphoric-acid fuel cell (PAFC)
 Direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC)
Chapter 2
 Conceptual design
 Electrolysis Equipment
 Fuel Cell
 Design
 Electrolysis equipment
 PEM Fuel Cell design
 Alkali Fuel Cell Design

Electrolysis Equipment
To make this first, we need the following:
• battery for power source
• Cathode
• Anode
• Electrolyte Solution
• Electrolysis container
We will take a container i. e electrolysis container
and fill it with electrolyte solution and then dip our
two electrodes. These two electrodes are connected
with the battery. As the battery starts liberating
current through the electrolyte the electrocution of
water takes place and the production of hydrogen
takes place.
Fuel Cell
My fuel cell consists of the following:
 Bipolar plates
 A PEM (electrolyte)
 Fuel cell
 Fuel stack
 Casing

I have made my design on the basis of the following picture

Alkali Fuel Cell
Alkaline fuel cells use an electrolyte that is an aqueous (water-based) solution of potassium
hydroxide (KOH) retained in a porous stabilized matrix. The concentration of KOH can be
varied with the fuel cell operating temperature, which ranges from 65°C to 220°C. The charge
carrier for an AFC is the hydroxyl ion (OH-) that migrates from the cathode to the anode
where they react with hydrogen to produce water and electrons. Water formed at the anode
migrates back to the cathode to regenerate hydroxyl ions. Therefore, the chemical reactions at
the anode and cathode in an AFC are shown below. This set of reactions in the fuel cell
produces electricity and by-product heat.
Anode Reaction:
2 H2 + 4 OH- => 4 H2O + 4 e-

Cathode Reaction:
O2 + 2 H2O + 4 e- => 4 OH-

Overall Net Reaction:

2 H2 + O2 => 2 H2O
Phase 3
Work done
 Functional design of Electrolysis Equipment
 Design Calculation
 Design of Fuel cell

Functional design of Electrolysis Equipment

Description:
A simple demonstration of electrolysis –
electrocuting water to convert it into
hydrogen.
Equipment Needed:
A 9-volt battery
Wire

Scissors

Wire stripper  (optional, if you’re handy

with scissors)
Tape (durable tape is required, like duct
tape or electrical tape)
A glass of water
Salt
First, we need to make the electric

device that will make the

electrolysis happen: get the 9-volt

battery, your wire, the scissors and

tape. Start stripping the ends of

the wire. You will need two

strands of wire at least six inches

in length. Use the wire stripper or

the scissors to strip the rubber

sheath from both ends of each

wire with the scissors. This will

expose the wire itself

After you’ve stripped both ends from both

wires, take one wire and securely tape one

stripped metal end to one terminal of the 9-

volt battery. Next, do the same with the

second wire – tape it to the remaining

battery terminal. The result will be our

electrolysis device, all ready to go.

The rest is easy:

Get your glass of water. Put a tablespoon or

two of salt into it. Stir the salt to dissolve it.

The water will become a little cloudy.

Get the electrolysis device. Dip both ends

of the wire into the salt water.

You will immediately see bubbles start to
fizzle off of one wire. (If you don’t see
bubbles, then check to make sure that your
wires have a good connection to the
battery, and that the battery still holds a
charge.) What’s happening here?

when you electrocute water (which is made

of hydrogen and oxygen), the electricity
breaks apart water molecules. The bubbles
you see are the hydrogen from the water
being released. Salt water improves the
electrolysis reaction 
Design Calculation
By using the above equation mass of the hydrogen m discharged may be obtained.
A= atomic weight
I= electric current through the electrolyte
T= time duration of the electrolysis
Z=valency
F=96500 coulomb/kgm
Calculation of amount of electric current in 9 volt battery:
V=IR
So I=V/R
I=9/.1=90 amps

Time duration of the electrolysis is 10 min. i.e 600 sec.

So the mass of hydrogen liberated is 0.279 moles.
Another method
We have certain relations which are useful in the calculation of Hydrogen production.
Ampere*time= Coulomb
96485 coulomb =1 faraday
1 faraday = 1 mole of electron
Volume
Pv=nRT
S0 I have made two calculations during the fabrication of Capstone project.
1. with 9 Volt battery for 10 min.
We have
Current=90 ampere
Time= 60*10= 600 seconds
Moles of electron

Moles of Hydrogen
 
For 12 Volt battery
Battery specification:
Chemistry Lead Acid
Voltage 12
Capacity 2500 mAh / 2.5Ah
Rating 60 Whr
Cell 6 cells
Connector F2

Length 3.54 inch / 8.99 cm Width 2.76 inch / 7.01 cm

Height 3.98 inch / 10.11 cm
Color Black
Weight 3.5 lb / 1.59 Kg
Ampere*time= Coulomb  
Current=15 ampere
96485 coulomb =1 faraday Time= 60*10= 600 seconds
Moles of electron
1 faraday = 1 mole of electron

Volume : Moles of Hydrogen

Pv=nRT

We have  
2.5Ah capacity. Volume of Hydrogen Produced:-
We know that 1Ah=3600 C Here P= pressure = 1 Bar = 100 kPa
So 2.5 Ah = 3600*2.5 = 9000 C V= volume of hydrogen produced
So the battery has the initial charge of R= Gas Constant
9000 C.
N= no of moles of hydrogen
i.e Q=9000 C
T= temperature in K
we Know that
Q=IT

I= =15 A
 
Design of fuel cell
Bipolar plates

The main function of the bi-polar

plates is to provide guidance to the
hydrogen (fuel for the fuel cell) and
the oxygen which are the reactants
in a fuel cell or we can say that the
cause of the electricity generation.
 PEM
The electrolyte is the proton exchange membrane.
This specially treated material, which looks
something like ordinary kitchen plastic wrap, only
conducts positively charged ions. The membrane
blocks electrons. For a PEMFC, the membrane
must be hydrated in order to function and remain
stable.

Anode
The anode, the negative post of the fuel cell, has
several jobs. It conducts the electrons that are freed
from the hydrogen molecules so that they can be
used in an external circuit.

Cathode
The cathode, the positive post of the fuel cell, has
channels etched into it that distribute the oxygen to
the surface of the catalyst. It also conducts the
electrons back from the external circuit to the
catalyst, where they can recombine with the
hydrogen ions and oxygen to form water.
Assembly
First we will place PEM polymer exchange

membrane in between the cathode and

anode which constitutes a single fuel cell.

The hydrogen is fed to anode and the

oxygen is fed to cathode. As we fabricate

this our fuel cell starts generating the

electricity.( as we have read earlier)

Links to Visualized Working
 Fuel Cell
 Fuel cell Chemistry
 Fuel Stack
 final
Design of alkali Fuel
Materials
The following materials were used to construct the alkaline fuel cell and water electrolyzer.
Chemicals
The following chemicals were used for the preparation of an alkaline fuel cell.
Sodium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide
Silver nitrate
Chloroplatinic acid (analytical reagent grade )
 
Equipments
(1) Wire Length: 152.4 cm
(2) Rectifier Current: 0-60A
(3) DC ammeter Current: 0-10A
(4) Digital multimeter
 
Accessories
 
(1) Screen Material: stainless steel Mesh size: 100
(2) Pipe Material: Plastic Size: (D=0.635 cm, length = 60.96 cm)
(3) Diaphragm Battery separator sheet was used as a diaphragm.
Thickness of the diaphragm was 2mm.
(4) ContainerCapacity: (10″×3.1″×5″)
Material: Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
Calculation of Production Rate of Hydrogen  
from the Constructed Electrolyzer 15012 C ?
Basis: 1 hr operation  
Current density = 150 mA/cm2 0.155 g H2
Surface area of electrode = 14.605 × 1.905= 27.82  
cm2 At STP condition,
Required current for Electrode  
=150 mA/cm2 × 27.82 cm2= 4173.37 mA Rate of volume of H2 produced
= 4.17 amp = 0.155g H2/ hr ×1mol/ 2g H2×22.4 L/mol
   = 1.74 L/hr
Faraday’s Law,  
Q=I×t Design Calculation of Alkaline Fuel Cell
Q= 4.17 amp × 3600 sec= 15012 amp.sec Alkaline Fuel Cell was constructed from the
  obtaining volumes of hydrogen gas and
2 H+ H2 (g) + 2e- oxygen gas from the electrolyzer.
 
H+ ½ H2 (g) + e- V cell = Σ V component
   
1F ½ mol (or) 1g of H2 x1 and x2 are the base of the electrodes.
  x3 is distance between the electrodes
96500 C 1g of H2
Construction of Alkaline Fuel Cell
There are many different designs for Alkaline Fuel Cell. In this project,
inexpensive and simple rectangular shape AFC was chosen. PVC (Poly
Vinyl Chloride) will be chosen to construct AFC. At both sides of the
wall, the holes will be made to fed hydrogen and oxygen. AFC was
constructed according to the design calculation. In construction of
alkaline fuel cell, the following experimental works were carried out.
Preparation of fuel electrode (anode) and oxygen electrode (cathode)
for alkaline fuel cell unit
Construction of alkaline fuel cell unit using prepared fuel electrode
and oxygen electrode
 Benefits
 Zero emission

 Clean energy

 Highly reliable

 High performance
 Time Line
Final Evaluation
Complete design

15Nov 2 010
Fuel cell Study And design

1Nov 2 010
Trial generation of Hydrogen

15Oct 2 010
Design of Engineering Component

1Oct 2 010
Design of functional Design
15Sep 2010
Selection of Electrolysis process

1 Sep 2010 Detailed study of Ways of extracting Hydrogen

16aug 2010 Allotment & selection of Project

activity
 Time Line

12 March 2011 Final evaluation

Design of alkaline Fuel Cell

10 April 2011

Prototype of electrolyser

12 March 2011 Design of PEM Fuel Cell

activity
References

For the above collection of data I have gone through various sources
which are as follows
 www.wikipedia.org
 Google Search engine
 Altavista search engine
 Power plant engineering by AK Raja director , HOD of Electrical Deptt
Saroj Institute of Technology & Management
 National Hydrogen Association
Thank you