Nidhi ChaturvediThe chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels is harnessed by a fuel cell to produce electricity in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. When hydrogen is used as a fuel, only electricity, water, and heat are produced. There is a wide range of uses for fuel cells because they can run on a wide range of fuels and feedstocks, from a utility power station to an individual laptop.
Why study fuel cells?
In addition to transportation, industrial/commercial/residential buildings, and long-term energy storage in reversible systems, fuel cells can be employed in a wide range of applications.
There are numerous advantages to using fuel cells instead of traditional combustion-based technologies in power plants and cars, such as reduced emissions and lower costs. Fuel cells can transform the chemical energy in fuel directly into electrical energy at efficiency above 60%, making them more efficient than combustion engines. When compared to traditional internal combustion engines, fuel cells produce virtually no pollutants at all. Because hydrogen fuel cells only emit water, they are an effective means of combating climate change. Additionally, there are no smog-creating air contaminants in the area where the facility is located. Because there are so few moving elements in a fuel cell, it runs quietly.
The Operation of a Fuel Cell
As with batteries, fuel cells don’t run out of power or need to be recharged. Until fuel is provided, they generate electricity and heat. There are two electrodes in a fuel cell: a negative electrode (also known as an anode) and a positive electrode (also known as a cathode). The anode receives a fuel, such as hydrogen, while the cathode receives air. A catalyst at the anode divides hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which go in different directions to the cathode in a hydrogen fuel cell. There is a flow of electricity as the electrons travel through an external circuit. The oxygen and electrons combine with the protons in the electrolyte to form water and heat at the cathode.
Goals for Research and Development
As a result, the DOE is collaborating closely with national laboratories, academic institutions, and private sector companies to address the most significant technological challenges facing fuel cell development. The fuel cell business is still plagued by cost, performance, and durability issues.
Cost
Development of low-cost fuel cell stack and balance of plant (BOP) parts, as well as enhanced high-volume manufacturing techniques, is the primary emphasis of R&D. As one of the most expensive components of a direct hydrogen-fueled polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), platinum is being studied for ways to increase activity and utilisation and reduce the content of current platinum group metal (PGM) and PGM-alloy catalysts, in addition to PGM-free approaches for long-term use.
Performance
RD&D works on new materials and integration solutions to improve fuel cell efficiency and performance. An effort is underway to develop ion-exchange membrane electrolytes with improved efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness; improve membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with high power density by integrating the best MEA components; model system design and operating conditions; and develop high-efficiency stacks with high efficiency at rated power and high-performing BOP components, such as air management components with low parasitic losses.
Durability
In the case of fuel cell applications, long-term reliability is critical to their success. At 8,000 hours for light-duty cars, at 30,000 hours for heavy-duty trucks and in an ultimate aim for fuel cell system lifetime at real-world conditions, the DOE has set its ultimate targets for fuel cell systems. Reliability and resilience in the face of dynamic and harsh operating circumstances are essential in the most demanding applications. A fuel cell system is subjected to a variety of real-world situations, including starting, halting, freezing and thawing, contaminants in the fuel and air, humidity, and dynamic load cycles that put stress on the materials and components. Research and development efforts are centred on figuring out how fuel cells degrade and then coming up with materials and techniques to counteract that degradation.
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