Diffusion in fuel cell

Presentation by:
S.Khatansaikhan
Introduction to fuel cell

 What is a fuel cell ?

 A fuel cell is electrochemical device that converts energy produced from a
chemical reaction into electrical energy
 More specifically it is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and
oxygen to produce electricity , with water and head as its by-product
 Chemical energy Electrical energy
Constructing parts of fuel cell
Constructing parts of fuel cell
 Anode – Negative post of the fuel cell. Conduct the electrons that are freed from
the hydrogen circuit. Etched channels disperse hydrogen gas over the surface of
catalyst
 Cathode – Positive post of the fuel cell. Etched channels distribute oxygen to the
surface of the catalyst. Conducts electrons back from the external circuit to the
catalyst Recombine with the hydrogen ions and oxygen to form water
 Electrolyte – Proton exchange membrane. Specially treated material, only conducts
positively charged ions. Membrane blocks electrons.
 Catalyst – Special material that facilitates reaction of oxygen and hydrogen Usually
platinum powder very thinly maximizes surface area exposed to hydrogen or
oxygen The platinum-coated side of the catalyst faces the PEM
Types of fuel cell

 Alkaline fuel cell (AFC)

 Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)
 Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
 Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)
 Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)
Types of fuel cell (APLICATION)
Working

 A fuel cell generates electrical power by continuously converting

the chemical energy of a fuel into electrical energy by way of an
electrochemical reaction. Fuel cells typically utilize hydrogen as the
fuel, and oxygen (usually from air) as the oxidant in the
electrochemical reaction . When hydrogen gas is introduced into the
system, the catalyst surface of the membrane splits hydrogen gas
molecules into protons and electrons. The protons pass through the
membrane to react with oxygen in the air(forming water).The
electrons, which cannot pass through the membrane, must travel
around it, thus creating the source of DC electricity
 Working

Animation from : https://www.intelligent-energy.com/technology/technology-faq/

Alkali fuel cell
CONS: Too expensive to make
for commercial application (Several
companies are trying to reduce the
cost)
 Alkali fuel cell

 Alkali fuel cells operate on

compressed hydrogen and
oxygen and generally use a
solution of potassium hydroxide
in water as their electrolyte.
Operating temperatures inside
alkali cells are around 150 to
200 degrees C (about 300 to
400 degrees F).

A U.S. Army soldier operates a portable drill

powered by a fuel cell, about 1965.
 Alkali fuel cell
 Original Union Carbide caption:
"It looks like an ordinary motorbike but
there's no internal combustion engine
and there's no noise. The machine,
which is powered by a hydrazine-air
fuel cell system, was built under the
direction of Union Carbide's Dr. Karl
Kordesch (pictured), a pioneer in fuel
cell development. Dr. Kordesch has run
up over 300 miles on the motorbike
which can do 25 miles an hour and can
travel 200 miles on a gallon of
hydrazine."

Inventor Karl Kordesch of Union

Carbide rides
his alkali fuel cell motorcycle in 1967.
Alkali fuel cell

• NASA selected alkali fuel cells

for the Space Shuttle fleet, as
well as the Apollo program,
mainly because of power
generating efficiencies that
approach 70 percent. 
• These fuel cell powerplants will
provide on-board electricity for
the Apollo command and service
modules. Their by-product is
drinkable water which will be
used by the astronauts. Pratt &
Whitney Aircraft is developing
another fuel cell system for the
lunar excursion module."
Pratt & Whitney technicians assemble
alkali fuel cells
for Apollo service modules, 1964.
Molten carbonate fuel cell
 In a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC),
carbonate salts are the electrolyte. Heated to 650
degrees C (about 1,200 degrees F), the salts melt
and conduct carbonate ions (CO3) from the
cathode to the anode. At the anode, hydrogen
reacts with the ions to produce water, carbon
dioxide, and electrons. The electrons travel
through an external circuit, providing electrical
power along the way, and return to the cathode.
There, oxygen from air and carbon dioxide
recycled from the anode react with the electrons
to form CO3 ions that replenish the electrolyte
and transfer current through the fuel cell. 
 Molten carbonate fuel cell

 The researcher's note on the photo reads:

"1966 - Molten Carbonate fuel cell module
available." On the back is written: "An 18 x 2
(1 sq. ft. of cell area) has produced 36.4 watts.
This was half again as long as the 12 x 2
shown. The unit shown is sitting on sugar
cubes." No additional information
accompanies the photo, but this component
may have been made by Texas Instruments as
part of its molten carbonate work with the
Army.

A component module from a 1966 molten carbonate

fuel cell made for the U.S. Army. 
Molten carbonate fuel cell

 M-C Power Corporation has tested a commercial

scale power generator in San Diego, California, using
molten carbonate fuel cells, the next generation of
fuel cell technology. ... The San Diego test unit,
installed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar,
consisted of a fully integrated system including a
newly designed reformer and a stack with 250 cells
each with an 11-square-foot active area. The unit
reached 210 kilowatts capacity and cogenerated up to
350 pounds per hour of steam used for heating
buildings on the air station. Total output was 158
megawatt-hours of electricity and 346,000 pounds of
steam over 2350 hours of operation. In the current
program, the Miramar facility is being modified to
conduct performance verification testing of advanced
stack designs and other improvements prior to
building prototype units for commercial
demonstrations at several sites by early 2001.

M-C Power's molten carbonate fuel cell power plant

in San Diego, California, 1997.
Phosphoric acid fuel cell and P.E.M fuel cell

• Phosphoric Acid fuel cells (PAFC) use

phosphoric acid as the electrolyte.
Efficiency ranges from 40 to 80 percent,
and operating temperature is between
150 to 200 degrees C (about 300 to 400
degrees F). Existing phosphoric acid
cells have outputs up to 200 kW, and 11
MW units have been tested.
• Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel
cells work with a polymer electrolyte in the
form of a thin, permeable sheet. Efficiency
is about 40 to 50 percent, and operating
temperature is about 80 degrees C (about
175 degrees F). Cell outputs generally range
from 50 to 250 kW. these cells operate at a
low enough temperature to make them
suitable for homes and cars.
 Phosphoric acid fuel cell bus

 "This bus was developed by H. Power Corp. of

Belleville, NJ for the Department of Energy as
part of the Fuel Cell Bus Project. Fuel cells
produce electricity by combining hydrogen
and oxygen atoms. Since they have no moving
parts, they produce little or no noise. Except
for ordinary water, they produce near zero
emissions and can offer the same performance
as conventional gasoline and diesel-fueled
vehicles."

Bus running on an H Power phosphoric

acid fuel cell, 1996.
Solid oxide fuel cell

 Solid Oxide fuel cells (SOFC) use a hard,

ceramic compound of metal (like calcium
or zirconium) oxides (chemically, O2) as
electrolyte. Efficiency is about 60 percent,
and operating temperatures are about 1,000
degrees C (about 1,800 degrees F). Cells
output is up to 100 kW.
 Solid Oxide Fuel Cell 
 "The new power plant is made up of 1152
individual tubular ceramic cells which give it the
capability to generate about 200 kilowatts of
electricity. The unit is the world's first to operate
the cells under high pressures and to use the hot,
pressurized exhaust gases to drive a microturbine
generator which will generate an additional 20
kilowatts of electricity at full power. ... The power
plant's combined maximum output of 220 kilowatts
is enough electricity to power more than 200
homes.

"The Siemens Westinghouse 220-kilowatt

power system is the first in the world to
combine a solid oxide fuel cell and a
microturbine in an innovative 'hybrid'
configuration."
Conclusion

 A major attraction is that it is between two and three times more

efficient than an internal combustion engine in converting fuel into
power
 Operates at near constant efficiency, independent of size and load
 The total efficiency of the fuel cell systems approach 85 precent
 Less chemical causes
 The technology will use the outcome effective and effiecently .
References

 http://americanhistory.si.edu/
 https://www.intelligent-energy.com/technology/technology-faq/
 https://www.slideshare.net/ArvindHeer/fuel-cells-64644787