Fuel Cell Technology

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Fuel Cell Technology
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(No Transcript)
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Fuel Cells and a Renewable Hydrogen Economy
Graphic provided by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
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Back to Edison Energy Security and Reliability
The Economist, ABB.
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The Hydrogen Economy

• The Hydrogen Economy is the concept of using
  hydrogen as the energy carrier rather than fossil
  fuels.
• There are numerous benefits from converting to a
  Hydrogen Economy.
• However, the obstacles and the associated Physics
  are often not clearly understood.

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Fuel Cell Technologys History

• 1839 Sir William Robert Grove
• Experimented with electrolysis
• Reasoned that the process could be reversed
• Grove produced the 1st gas battery
• What would later be called a fuel cell

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Fuel Cell Technologys History

• 1959 Thomas Bacon
• Produced the 1st workable fuel cell producing 5kW
  of power
• Enough to power a welding machine

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Fuel Cell Technologys History

• Recent history
• 1960s
• NASA looking for power generation alternatives
• Led to the 1st PEM Fuel Cell
• GE further developed this technology which
  allowed its use on the Gemini space project

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Fuel Cell Technologys History

• Recent History
• 1990s
• 1st viable fuel cells were unveiled
• 1st fuel cell vehicle
• Fuel cells installed in hospitals, schools, buses

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Stationary
• Most developed market that provides electricity
  and heat
• Attractiveness due to low emissions
• Stand alone for areas not on the power grid
• High temperatures allow for toleration of
  contaminated hydrogen (natural gas, diesel,
  gasoline)
• Can be combined with steam turbines to increase
  efficiency

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Residential
• Low temperature PEM of phosphoric acid
• Not yet readily available
• Natural gas would provide a source of hydrogen
• Alternative source is forecasted which will
  reduce emissions even lower

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Portable cell phones, laptops
• Advantages over batteries
• Increased operating times
• Reduced weight
• Ease of recharging
• Disadvantages
• Cost of platinum catalyst
• Low power density

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Military
• Power everything from handheld devices to mobile
  command posts, hospitals, etc.
• Power unmanned vehicles
• Ease of refueling versus running out of batteries

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Transport
• Internal combustion engines harmful emissions
• Carbon dioxide produced by a car reduced by 72
  when powered by a fuel cell running off of
  natural gas
• PEM fuel cell efficiency 60 (approximate)
• Internal combustion engine 25 (approximate)

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Transport
• Most vehicle mfg. consider PEM the successor to
  the internal combustion engine
• Most major vehicle mfg. have prototypes
• Hurdles
• Manufacturing costs
• Fuel quality
• Unit size

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Fuel Cell Applications

• Space
• Provides a safe, reliable energy source
• Operation without noise, vibration, and added
  advantage of drinking water on missions
• 3 units on Apollo and Gemini
• Provided 10,000 hrs of non-incident operation
  over 18 missions
• Produced 1.5kW 2.2 kW (peak) weighing 250 lbs
• Current shuttle fuel cells produce 10X that of
  Apollos
• 70 efficient, complete 80,000 hrs, and gt100
  missions