Fuels & Combustion
Fuel
cells
Fuel cells are electrochemical cells
consisting of two electrodes and an
electrolyte which convert the chemical
energy of chemical reaction between fuel
and oxidant directly into electrical energy.
The process of fuel cell is
Oxidation
Fuel Oxygen Products Electricity
Chemical Mechanical Electrical
Heat
Energy Energy Energy
Fuel cell consists of electrodes, electrolyte & catalyst to
facilitate the electrochemical redox reaction.
The basic arrangement in a fuel cell can be represented
as follows:
Fuel Electrode Electrolyte Electrode Oxidant
Fuel cell consist of
Anode
• A layer of anodic catalyst.
Electrolyte
• A layer of cathodic catalyst.
Cathode
Fuel cell consist of
Anode & Cathode
• Materials which have high electron conductivity & zero
proton conductivity in the form of porous catalyst (porous
catalyst or carbon).
Catalyst
• Platinum
Electrolyte
• High proton conductivity & zero electron conductivity.
Fuel Cell System:
1. The fuel (direct H2 or reformed H2) undergoes oxidation at
anode and releases electrons.
2. These electrons flow through the external circuit to the
cathode.
3. At cathode, oxidant (O2 from air) gets reduced.
4. The electrons produce electricity while passing through the
external circuit. Electricity is generated continuously as long as
fuel and the oxidant are continuously and separately supplied
to the electrodes of the cell from reservoirs outside the
electrochemical cell.
The Fuel cell can be represented as:
At
anode • 2H2 → 4H+ + 4e-
At
Cathode • O2 + 4H+ + 4e- → 2H2O
Overall
Reaction • 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
Large number of these cells are stacked together in series to
make a battery called as fuel cell battery or fuel battery.
Advantages of Fuel Cells
1. High efficiency of energy conversion (approaching 70%)
from chemical energy to electrical energy.
2. Low noise pollution & low thermal pollution.
3. Fuel cell power can reduce expensive transmission lines &
minimize transmission loses for a disturbed system.
4. Fuel cells gives excellent method for efficient use of fossil
fuels hence saves fossil fuels.
5. Fuel cells are less polluting. The chemical process involved
in it is clean. It does not produce polluting exhaust. Mostly
the byproducts are water & waste heat, which are
environmentally acceptable when hydrogen & air are used
as reactants.
Advantages of Fuel Cells
6. In case of fossil fuels, when used as
reactants, environmentally undesirable NOx are not
produced since there is no combustion in the process.
7. Hydrogen-Oxygen fuel cells produce drinking water of
potable quality.
8. Designing is modular, therefore the parts are
exchangeable.
9. Low maintenance cost.
10. Fuel cell performance is independent of power plant size.
The efficiency does not depend on the size of power
plant. It remains same for the plants of MW or kW or W
size.
Advantages of Fuel Cells
11. Fast start up time for low temperature system.
12. The heat is cogenerated hence increases efficiency of high
temperature system.
13. The demand for variations in power & energy densities is
easily met as required. e.g. Laptop, computers requires
low power density & high energy density where as
automobile requires high power density, high energy
density. Both can be powered by fuel cells.
14. Fuel cells automotive batteries can render electric
vehicles, efficient & refillable.
Disadvantages of Fuel Cells
High initial cost.
Life times of the cells are not accurately known.
Large weight and volume of gas fuel storage
system.
High cost of pure hydrogen.
Hydrogen can be stored in lesser volume by
liquefaction but liquefaction itself require 30% of
the stored energy.
Lack of infrastructure for distributing hydrogen.
Applications of Fuel Cells
The first commercial use of fuel cell was in NASA
space program to generate power for satellites
and space capsules.
Fuels are used for primary and backup power for
commercial, industrial and residential buildings
in remote and inaccessible area.
They are used to power fuel cell vehicles
including automobiles, aeroplanes, boats and
submarines.
Types of Fuel Cells
Two Commercially important Fuel Cells as:
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell
Polymer Electrode to Membrane Fuel Cell
Characteristic features PEMFC PAFC
Primary fuel H2 H2
Electrodes Graphite Carbon
Electrolyte Polymer membrane(Per fluoro Phosphoric acid soaked in
sulphonic acid) silicon matrix
Catalyst Pt Pt
Operating temperature 50 - 1000C (typically 800C) 150 - 2000C
Major applications Stationary and automotive Stationary power
power
ntages •Solid electrolyte reduce •Higher temperature
corrosion & electrolyte combines heat power
management problems •Increases tolerance to fuel
•Operates at low temperature impurities
•Quick start up
Disadvantages •Expensive catalyst •Expensive catalyst
•Sensitive to fuel impurities •Long start time
•Low current & power
Comparison of PAFC & PEMFC
It has H2 as a primary fuel. It has H2 as a primary fuel.
It requires carbon as an electrode. It requires graphite as an electrode.
Phosphoric
electrolyte. acid is used as an Polymer membrane is used as an
electrolyte.
Platinum acts as catalyst. Platinum acts as catalyst.
It’s operating temperature is 150 to It’s operating temperature is 50 to
200oC. 100oC (typically 80oC).
It has major applications in
It has major applications in stationary power.
stationary & automotive power.
PAFC
PAFC were the first fuel cells to cross
commercial threshold in the electric power
industry.
• PAFC is considered the “First generation” of
modern fuel cell.
• These are considered as the most advanced
fuel cells after alkaline fuel cells.
• They operate at around 150 to 200 oC.
Set up of PAFC
These fuel cell use liquid phosphoric acid as
electrolyte contained in a silicon carbide matrix
placed between electrodes.
The electrodes are made of carbon paper coated
with a finely dispersed platinum catalyst bonded
with teflon.
Hydrogen or reformate gas (mixture of H 2 + CO)
generated from alcohols or hydrocarbons is used
as the fuel whereas air is used as oxidant.
Working of PAFC
The catalyst strips electron off the hydrogen rich fuel
at the anode.
Positively charged hydrogen ions then migrate
through the electrolyte from anode to the cathode.
Electrons generated at the anode travel through an
external circuit providing electric power & reach to
the cathode.
At cathode, the electrons, hydrogen ions & oxygen
form water which is discharged from the fuel cell.
The cell reaction can be represented as:
At
anode • 2H2 → 4H+ + 4e-
At
Cathode • O2 + 4H+ + 4e- → 2H2O
Overall
Reaction • 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
Diagram
