ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell

Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020

FINAL REPORT MEMO

Objective: ​Mystery Inc. ​will make the grooviest vehicle before the 20th of November 2020.

Ground Rules:
1. Expenses will be split equally among group members
2. Meetings will be primarily in person with those unable to make it zooming in. The
coordination communication will be done over groupme.
3. Disagreements will be settled by a majority vote.
4. Unacceptable behavior will be dealt with by executing the guilty party.

Team Information
Name Email Phone Number

Ali Boardwine ajb0165@auburn.edu 334-415-0376

Mattingly Brennan mtb0081@auburn.edu 404-200-2804

David Swafford dls0053@auburn.edu 706-938-5902

Nicolas Ulrich ngu0001@gmail.com 256-206-0883

 ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell
Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020
For our kit, we used the Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Education Kit. The extra
materials we used were mostly legos. We composed the base of the car with flat legos
and then carved styrofoam to hold our fuel cell and syringes. Next, to decorate the
Mystery Machine we used cardboard that is painted with acrylic paint.

A PEM fuel cell is an alternate energy source that generates electricity from the
reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. PEM stands for proton exchange membrane
but can also mean polymeric electrolyte membrane. These fuel cells are generally
efficient and produce low emissions for the energy they generate. Each device is
usually made up of multiple fuel cell “stacks”. The individual fuel cells contain three main
parts; an anode, a cathode, and a conductive electrolyte. The fuel cell works by splitting
up hydrogen gas into protons and electrons at the anode. These protons are then
moved through the electrolyte membrane, and the electrons flow around the membrane,
creating an electrical current. The charged ions combine with oxygen at the cathode,
producing water and heat.

1) Diagram of a fuel cell device made up of

“stacks” of individual fuel cells.

2) How the atoms interact with the

membrane move and basic structure.

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/materials-science/renewable-alternative-energy/pem-fuel-cells.html

Cathode: O2 + 4H+ + 4e–→ 2H2O

Anode: 2H2 → 4H+ + 4e–
Overall: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O

There are very few safety concerns when it comes to the fuel cell however the
isolation of oxygen and hydrogen does cause some concern. The​ S ​ DS for hydrogen for
hydrogen gas cites concerns of suffocation and flammability. The SDS for oxygen cites
that it is an oxidiser. The safety concerns for the amount of gas that is used in the fuel
cell car is in such low amounts to negate almost all of the safety concerns. So long as
there is not a fire there is no real concern. Care should also be taken to make sure not
to mix hydrogen and oxygen gas in a 2:1 ratio near an ignition source.

The main types of fuel cells under development that are most viable for further
advancements are; polymer electrolyte membrane, direct methanol, alkaline,
phosphoric acid, molten carbonate, solid oxide, and reversible. Each one presents its
own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. The polymer electrolyte membrane
 ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell
Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020
(PEM) is the type of fuel cell our car runs on. They run at relatively low temperatures
(<80°C) They also have been used for their fast startup time and good power to weight
ratio to power vehicles. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are powered by pure
methanol which is more compact than hydrogen, being a liquid so it’s easier to store
and transport. Alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) were used in the U.S. space program to
produce electricity and water on board space craft. They were also one of the first fuel
cell technologies developed. Phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) are the first of the fuel
cell technologies to be used commercially. They are around 85% efficient producing
electricity and heat, but less efficient generating just electricity, ~39%. Molten carbon
fuel cells (MCFCs) operate at high temperatures (650°C), and can be as efficient as
65% when generating electricity alone. While being efficient they are known to break
down relatively fast. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operate at very high temperatures
(~1,000°C). This high operating temperature lets them use many different materials as
their fuel. Cost is the main factor holding this type of fuel cell back, along with heat loss
and durability. Reversible fuel cells are just like other fuel cells which produce water and
electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, but can also use electricity from other sources to
split the water back into hydrogen and oxygen. The main application of this would be to
use the “reverse” function to store any excess energy from other sources as hydrogen.

Results & Discussion

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Average Standard
Deviation

Charging Time 55 s 60 s 57 s 56 s 57 s 2.16 s

How long axle 65 s 82 s 70 s 76 s 73.25 s 7.37 s

turns before
stopping

Gas consumed 10mL 10mL 10mL 10mL

and generated Hydrogen Hydrogen Hydrogen Hydrogen
5mL 5mL 5mL 5mL
Oxygen Oxygen Oxygen Oxygen

Our fuel cell car ran longer and faster the second day of testing. The charging
time until gas chambers are filled also decreased, this could be because our fuel cell
soaked in water for 24 hours before its second testing. 3.7 mg of water was consumed
in each trial. The amount of water consumed per mL of gas makes sense as the
environment is at near STP conditions, and at STP 1 mol, 18.02 g of H 2 O , produces
22.4 L of gas at a 1:1 ratio. The production of 5 mL from 3.7 mg at a 1:1 ratio is
consistent with this.
 ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell
Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020
The car design is the Mystery Machine, which is square and not very
aerodynamic. This could be negatively impacting the speed by causing drag.
Additionally the large wheels required more torque to accelerate. Given the motor’s
weak power output the car had difficulty running at low speeds and accelerating initially.

We learned how a fuel cell works and the amount of potential energy that is in a
small amount of hydrogen and oxygen gas. We also learned that larger wheels are
more efficient for speed. This has allowed us to practically lift our Mystery Machine. We
have had no safety incidents.

References:
Poster For Mystery Machine
“PEM Fuel Cells.” ​Sigma​, www.sigmaaldrich.com/materials-science/renewable-
alternative-energy/pem-fuel-cells.html. Accessed: ​November 11, 2020
Safety Data Sheets:
Water: ​http://www.labchem.com/tools/msds/msds/LC26750.pdf
Hydrogen: ​https://www.airgas.com/msds/001026.pdf
Oxygen: ​https://www.airgas.com/msds/001043.pdf

David Swafford- Team Leader

Nicolas Ulrich- Spokesperson
Ali Boardwine- Researcher, Uploader
Mattingly Brennan- Bounty Hunter
 ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell
Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020
Appendix:
 ENGR 1110 Fuel Cell
Meeting 5, Date: 11/22/2020