FUEL CELLS

PRESENTED BYRajath S Sakhare

4MC11ME086

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGMALNAD COLEGE OF ENGINEERING

HASSAN

SEMINAR

ON

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INTRODUCTION:

What Are Fuel Cells ? Fuel cells produce electricity through Electrochemical

reactions.

It produces electricity from fuel and an oxidant which react in the presence of an electrolyte.

The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out Of it, while the electrolyte remains within it

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. 2

FUEL CELL TYPES :FuelFuelcellcell

name name

Electrolyte Electrolyte Qualified Qualified PowerPower(W) (W)

WorkingWorkingTemperatureTemperature

(°C) (°C) Proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC)

Sulphonated solid Fluorupolymer.

50-100 KW 50-100°C

Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)

Molten phosphoric acid (H3PO4)

100-400KW 200°C

Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)

Molten alkaline carbonate (e.g., sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3)

20-50 MW 600-650°C

Solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)

Zirconia -based ceramics

100-220 KW 800-1000°C 3

Galvanic cell (battery)Hydrogen fuel cell

Anode and cathode are gases in contact with a platinum catalyst. The amount of energy is determined by the amount of gas reactants Reactants are externally supplied, no recharging required.

Anode and cathode are metals.The amount of energy the battery supplies is determined by the amount of chemicals in the batteryReactants are internally consumed, need periodic recharging.

Fuel Cell Vs. BatteryBasic operating principles of both are very similar, but there are severalintrinsic differences.

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THE TECHNOLOGY :

Working:

Fig.1 : Block diagram of a ‘Fuel Cell Power System’ ( Courtesy:NFCRC-University of California)

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Anode

Cathode

THE TECHNOLOGY (CONTND…) : Fuel cell stacks made of many

individual cells

Each cell consists of -Cathode -Electrolyte -Anode -Separator plate

Fuel cells produce electricity through Electrochemical reactions

It produces electricity from fuel and an oxidant which react in the presence of an electrolyte.

Fig.2 : Construction of Fuel cell stack( Courtesy:NFCRC-University of California) 6

Fig. 3 : Schematic View of working of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. (Courtesy: photovoltaicell.com)

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ADVANTAGES OF FUEL CELL

Quiet operation.

High power density .

High efficiency conversion.

They are far more energy-efficient than gasoline-fueled vehicles .

Can provide heat and high quality power.

Cheaper to run than Gen-sets.

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LIMITATIONS OF FUEL CELL High costs compared to other energy systems

technology. Sensitivity to quality of fuel. Availability & limited manufacturers. Fuel not stored on site (lower level of energy

security ).

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APPLICATIONS:

TRANSPORTATION APPLICATIONS

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel cells are primary technology under development for vehicle power .

Bus & personal vehicles applications are targeted.

The world's first Fuel Cell Ship HYDRA used an Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC )system with 6.5 kW net output.

Type 212 submarine with fuel cell propulsion is developed by German Navy .

STATIONARY APPLICATIONS

Small residential or micro-application PEM Fuel Cells 1KW>5KW

Commercial combined heat and power PAFC & MCFC 50KW>500KW

Industrial application 200KW> +1MW

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APPLICATIONS:

Fig.5: Type 212 Submarine developed by German navy with fuel cell propulsion ( Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org)

Fig. 4 : A fuel cell public bus in Perth, Western Australia (Courtesy : The WA Dept. of Planning and Infrastructure).

Fig. 7 : The world's first certified Fuel Cell Boat (HYDRA) Germany.( Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org)

Fig. 6 : A 2.8 MW system that FuelCell Energy installed at a wastewater treatement plant Chino, California.

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Honda's video guide to Hydrogen fuel cell technology in cars 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INDIA:

Indigenous base for research & industrial production being established.

Prototypes of Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFCs) and Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFCs) are developed.

The application of fuel cells is demonstrated for decentralized power generation.

A Fuel Cell (PEMFC)-battery hybrid van has been developed in the country and has undergone field performance evaluation.

3 kW capacity UPS based on PEMFC developed. Reformer for a 10 kW PEMFC system developed and tested.

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CONCLUSION :

Large scale investment in FCV development has only occurred in the last few years. It is is estimated that to date over $ 2 billion has been invested in FCV development. Substantial progress has already been achieved.

Intense effort is now being made by major industrial corporations and small hi-tech companies alike to optimize system performance and reduce costs . This will take a few years but there are early indications of progress and we can expect that FCVs will either meet or beat the economic targets needed to achieve commercial success.

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REFERENCES1)Brian Cook, An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology, paper presentation,

December -2001

2)T.S.R. Prasada Rao,Opportunities And Challenges For Fuel Cells In India , Prepr. Pap.-

Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 2003, 48(2), 79.

3)Charles Edison et al , Fuel Cells, Charles Edison Fund, (2008).

4)Sharon Thomas et al, Fuel Cells-Green power, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los

Alamos, New Mexico.

5)Bouziane Mahmah et al, Dynamic Performance of Fuel Cell Power Module for

Mobility Applications, Engineering, 2013, 5, 219-229 (2013).

6)M.W. Melaina , Biogas and Fuel Cell Opportunities, 7th AgSTAR National

Conference.NREL (2013).

7)Dr. Martin Winter et al, “What Are Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Super capacitors?” Chem.

Rev.2004, 104, 4245−4269 (2014).15

Thank you….

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