A PRESENTATION

ON HYDROGEN
FUEL CELL

EFFORTS BY:
RAHUL BANSAL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 I would like to thank my teacher for providing

me immense help.
 I would like to thank my teacher for providing
me such a topic that really increased my
knowledge.
 INDEX
 FUEL CELL
 HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
 TYPES OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
 HOW DO THEY WORK
 SCIENCE BEHIND TECHNOLOGY
 OPTIMIZATION
 USES
 PRESENT DAY APLICATIONS
 PROBLEMS
 ADVANTAGES
 DISADVANTAGES
 FUTURE
 CONCLUSION
 WHAT IS A FUEL CELL?

 Generates electric power using a fuel and an oxidant

 Unlike a battery, chemicals are not stored in the fuel
cell; they must be replenished
 Possible fuel sources: hydrogen,
alcohols, hydrocarbons,
gasoline
 Possible oxidants: oxygen,
chlorine, chlorine dioxide
 Refueling of an internal
combustion engine, efficient
and quiet like a battery
 WHAT IS A HYDROGEN
FUEL CELL?
• Hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) are a type of
electrochemical cell.

• HFCs generate electricity by reduction and

oxidation reactions within the cell.

• They use three main components, a fuel, an

oxidant and an electrolyte.

• HFCs operate like batteries, although they

require external fuel.

• HFCs are a thermodynamically open system.

• HFCs use hydrogen as a fuel, oxygen as an

oxidant, a proton exchange membrane as an
electrolyte, and emit only water as waste.
TYPES OF HYDROGEN FUEL
CELLS
 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel
Cells
 Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
 Alkaline Fuel Cells
 Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells
 Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells
 Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
 Regenerative Fuel Cells
 HOW DO THEY WORK?
• Fuel (H2) is first transported to
the anode of the cell

• Fuel undergoes the anode

reaction

• Anode reaction splits the fuel

into H+ (a proton) and e-

• Protons pass through the

electrolyte to the cathode

• Electrons can not pass through

the electrolyte, and must travel
through an external circuit which
creates a usable electric current

• Protons and electrons reach the

cathode, and undergo the
 SCIENCE BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY
Oxidation

At the anode of the cell, a

catalyst (platinum
powder) is used to
separate the proton from
the electron in the
hydrogen fuel.
Anode half-reaction:
2H 2  4H + + 4e -
Eo = 0.00V
Reduction

At the cathode of the cell, a

second catalyst (nickel) is
used to recombine the
protons, electrons, and
oxygen atoms to form water.
Cathode half- reaction:
4H + + O2 + 4e -  2H 2 O
Eo = 0.68V
SCIENCE OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
OPTIMIZATION OF FUEL CELLS

 Catalyst: increases rate of reaction without

being consumed in the process
 Platinum is main catalyst used in PEM fuel
cells
 Platinum is expensive and highly sensitive to
poisoning
 New platinum/ruthenium catalysts being
researched for use in hydrogen fuel cells
 Reaction requires lower temperatures and high
humidity and pressure
USES OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
There are many different uses of fuel cells being utilized right now. Some of
these uses are…
• Power sources for vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses and even boats and
submarines

• Power sources for spacecraft, remote weather stations and military technology

• Batteries for electronics such as laptops and smart phones

• Sources for uninterruptable power supplies.

 PRESENT-DAY APPLICATIONS

 Little-to-no pollution, doesn’t need to be recharged

 2500 fuel cell systems have been installed globally
 Used to power landfills and water treatment plants
 50 fuel cell buses
 Every major automotive manufacturer has designed
a fuel cell-powered vehicle
 Mercedes-Benz projects 40% efficiency in compact
cars running on Hydrogen fuel cells
 Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (2003)
PRESENT-DAY APPLICATIONS

 Fuel cells require specific humidity, pressure, etc.

 Catalysts are pricey and sensitive to poisoning
 Difficult to produce hydrogen
 Difficult to store optimum amounts of Hydrogen
 If fuels other than hydrogen are used, some
greenhouse gasses are emitted
 Very few cars currently running on hydrogen
 problems regarding hydrogen fuel cells
• Lack of hydrogen infrastructure

• Need for refueling stations

• Lack of consumer distribution system

• Cost of hydrogen fuel cells

• 2009 Department of Energy estimated $61/kw

• Honda FCX Clarity costs about half a million dollars to

make

• Carbon cost of producing hydrogen

• Problems with HFC cars

• Short range (260 miles)

• Warm up time (5 minutes)

 POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES

 Clean; only product is H2O and heat.

 More efficient than heat engine.
 Higher part load efficiency
 Excellent response time
 Co-generation
 No tuning required
 No recharging required
 DISADVANTAGES

 H2 is difficult/expensive to produce, store

and transport.
 Fuels cells require pure fuel.
 Platinum catalysts are expensive and rare
 Proton exchange membranes must be kept
moist
 Hydrogen fuel cell stacks are heavy
THE FUTURE OF FUEL CELLS

 Used to power personal electronic devices: cell

phones, iPods, laptops
 Enough energy to run for days, or weeks (instead
of hours)
 Potentially power all cars, airplanes, ships, etc.
 60 million tons of carbon dioxide could be
eliminated from yearly greenhouse gas production
 Development of cheaper and more reliable catalysts
 Higher demand = cheaper
THE FUTURE OF FUEL CELLS

 Economic crisis has greatly slowed

technological advancements
 Past predictions for 2010 seem unlikely
 Hydrogen cannot be the only alternative
fuel source to solve the energy crisis
 Many more years of research before
mass production will be possible
CONCLUSION

 Hydrogen fuel cells are efficient, and clean

 Also expensive, and require specific
humidity, temperature, pressure
 With more technological advancements,
could be used in mass production for
various applications
 Not an instant fix for the energy crisis, but
definitely a major component