Fuel Cell Fundamentals

Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1. What is a fuel cell?

Fuel Cell: Factory that takes fuel as input and produces electricity as output transforms the chemical energy stored in a fuel into electrical energy

Hydrogen-oxygen (H2-O2) fuel cell In a conventional combustion engine, fuel is burned, releasing heat H2+1/2 O2 H2O +Heat

The energy difference between the initial and final states Reconfiguration of electronsRecovered as heat

To produce electricity: HeatMechanical EnergyElectricity (Complex and inefficient)

To produce electricity directly form the chemical reaction by harnessing the electrons This is what fuel cell does!!

1. No bonds exists and the system has high energy 2. The system energy is lowered until the most stable bonding configuration 3. Further overlap between atoms is energetically unfavorable

1.2 A Simple Fuel Cell

H2

2H+ +2e-

electrolyte

1/2O2+2H++2e-

H2O

Load

( e.g. light bulb) is introduced along the path of the electrons the flowing electrons will provide power to the load

B
POSITIVE

A i
ELECTROLYTE

T T E
NEGATIVE

R Y O
2

FUEL CELL VS BATTERY

F U E L H C E L L
2

CATHODE

ELECTROLYTE ANODE

1.3. Fuel Cell Advantages

Electrochemical energy conversion devices : combine many of the advantages of both engine and batteries Far more efficient than Combustion Engine Lack of Moving parts: Silent

No undesirable products: NOx and SOx

1.4. Fuel Cell Disadvantages

Cost: Major barrier to fuel cell implementation (economically competitive for a few highly specialized applications) Should figure out problem related to volumetric power density Hydrogen: difficult to store Alternative fuels (gasoline..-high volumetric density) require reforming
require ancillary equipments

1.5 Fuel Cell types

Five Major Types of Fuel Cells

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC) Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) Solid-oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)

PEMFCs (thin polymer membrane)

H2 2H+ +2eH2O Low temperature and high power density

1/2O2+2H++2eH+ is the ionic charge carrier

SOFC (thin ceramic membrane)

H2+ O21/2O2+2eH2O+2eO2High temperature (> 600 oC)

O2- is the ionic charge carrier

1.6. Basic Fuel Cell Operation

Conversion involves an energy transfer step
Finite rate: occur at an interface

or reaction surface Amount of electricity scales with the amount of reaction surface area or interfacial area
Electrodes are highly porous

Anode: where electrons flow out HOR reaction H2 2H+ +2eCathode: Where electrons flow in 1/2O2+2H++2eH2O ORR reaction

1. Reactant delivery into the fuel cell 2. Electrochemical reaction 3. Ionic conduction and electronic conduction 4. Product removal from the fuel cell

Step 1: Reactant Transport

-When operated at high current, demand for reactants is voracious
-Efficient delivery: Flow field plates in combination with porous electrode structures

Step 2: Electrochemical Reaction

-Current is related to how fast the electrochemical reactions proceed -Obviously, sluggish reactions result in low current output -catalysts are designed to increase the speed and efficiency of electrochemical reactions

Step 3: Ionic (and Electronic) conduction -To maintain charge balance, ions and electrons should be transported easily
-Ionic conduction: more difficult Ions are much larger and more massive than electrons Ions move via hopping mechanism (less efficient) Electrolytes as thin as possible

Step 4: Product Removal

-If products are not removed, eventually strangle the fuel cell

1.7. Fuel Cell Performance

An ideal fuel cell would supply any amount of current (sufficient fuels), while maintaining a constant voltage determined by thermodynamics In practice, less than the ideal thermodynamically predicted voltage The more current, the lower voltage output The current supplied by a fuel cell : proportional to the amount of fuel consumed Maintaining a high fuel cell voltage under current load Three irreversible loss 1. Activation loss (electrochemical reaction) 2. Ohmic loss (due to ionic and electronic conduction) 3. Concentration loss (losses due to mass transport)

V=Ethermo-act-ohmic-conc

1.10 Fuel Cells and The Environment

Hydrogen Economy
At night and wind-stop, the fuel cells could be dispatched to provide on-demand power Fossil fuels are completely removed

Homework Chapter exercise 1.1 1.7 1.8