All About Hydrogen Fuel Cells
By: Avita Clarke
Discovery
- Fuel cells were discovered in 1839 by William Grove in London.
- Francis Bacon perfected his design in 1559, when he demonstrated a five-kilowatt fuel cell that could power a welding machine
- William Grove
Science and Technology
- Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe and we will never run out of it.
- Hydrogen is usually present in a compound with other elements. To use the hydrogen, it must be extracted from these compounds.
- Most industrial hydrogen is currently produced from oil or gas, by reforming of the hydrocarbon feedstock to produce synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
- The hydrogen must then be separated from the other gases; this is usually accomplished by pressure swing adsorption. This process requires fossil fuel and produces carbon dioxide and is therefore not a sustainable practice.
- However, hydrogen can also be produced in a similar way from renewable sources such as biomass. This can be done by using renewable energy (like wind or solar) to power an electrolyser to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Hydrogen has to be stored at very high pressures or as a very cold liquid.
- The hydrogen can be transported from the site of production to the point of use.
- Storage of a hydrogen fuel cell
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Cost
- Coal: 0.7 - 0.9 cents per kWh
- Fuel cell: 0.12 cents per kWh
Positive Impacts
- They produce much smaller quantities of greenhouse gases and none of the air pollutants that create smog and cause health problems.
- Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are also far more energy efficient than traditional combustion technologies.
- Fuel cells operate on a wide variety of fuels, utilize electrochemical (movement of electrons) reactions and contain no moving parts. This makes them simple to operate, quiet, and extremely reliable.
Negative Impacts
- Hydrogen is flammable and has the potential to react violently with oxygen in the air.
- It takes a lot of energy and space to create and store.
Use Today
- According to experts, we may soon be using fuel cells to generate electrical power for many devices or machine that use that use batteries, like laptop computers, cellular phones, video recorders, and hearing aids
- Fuel cells could also power our cars, with hydrogen replacing the petroleum fuel that is used in most vehicles today.
Obstacles to Widespread Use
- Hydrogen fuel cells are difficult to store and distribute. Canisters of pure hydrogen are available from hydrogen producers, but as of now, you can't just fill up a car with hydrogen at a gas station.
- Most of the companies planning to manufacture fuel cells are still in the research and development stage of production.