In 1839, the first fuel cell was conceived by sir william robert grove, a welsh judge, inventor, and physicist. Pdf i present in this paper an overview of the main consolidated ways of using hydrogen. Fuel cell engine technology hydrogen fuel cell engines and related technologies. Find educational resources about hydrogen h2 and fuel cell technologies. A fuel cell is a device that generates electrical power through a chemical reaction by converting a fuel hydrogen into electricity. Hydrogen storage hydrogen storage with support from the u. This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information. The fuel cell an energy conversion device that can efficiently capture and use the power of hydrogen is the key to making it happen. Fuel of the future rachel chamousis abstract hydrogen is an energy carrier that can transform our fossilfuel dependent economy into a hydrogen economy, which can provide an emissionsfree transportation fuel. It can be used in cars, in houses, for portable power, and in many more applications.
The second half of this chapter concerns fueling of hydrogen fuel cells, which is considerably more complex than filling a tank with gasoline. Hydrogen is a potential clean and environmentally friendly energy carrier because, in proton exchange membrane pem fuel cells, hydrogen protons released at the anode transfer through the electrolyte, to react with oxygen at the cathode to produce water while work is generated in the external circuit via electron transfer from the anode to the cathode. The products of the reaction in the cell are water, electricity, and heat. International partnership for hydrogen and fuel cells in the economy iphe. The invention, which later became known as a fuel cell, didnt produce enough electricity to be useful. This symposium highlights innovations in materials and devices which will enable development and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cells with the ultimate goals of decreasing our dependence on oil, reducing carbon emissions, and enabling clean, reliable power generation.
View the hydrogen program video on nrels youtube channel to learn more about the basics of nrels hydrogen and fuel cell research and development. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen usually from air to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually. Properly designed fuel cells can therefore produce electricity for commercial and residential power requirements while. As long as the vehicleos tank contains fuel, the fuel cell will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat. Unlike internal combustion engines, the fuel is not combusted, the energy instead being released electrocatalytically. The department of energy hydrogen and fuel cells program plan.
It explains why reformed fossil fuels cannot yet be used to power a fuel cell vehicle, and describes various options for storing pure hydrogen on board the vehicle. The importance of both fact sheet battery electric and. Hydrogen and fuel cells comprise a complex array of technologies and processes for hydrogen production, storage, transportation, distribution, fuel cell concepts and other enduse technologies. Vacuum pressure hydrogen fuel cell defeats high gas prices using hydrogen from h2o. Ogden stated that practical fuel cells2 are up to 60% fig. When hydrogen is produced from nonfossil energy sources or using co 2 sequestration, there are no greenhouse gas emissions.
The fuel cell and hydrogen energy association fchea is the trade association for the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry, and is dedicated to the commercialization of fuel cells and hydrogen energy technologies. He mixed hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an electrolyte and produced electricity and water. Instead of a battery pack feeding electricity to an electric motor, like the model s, hydrogen is fed into fuel cells which create electricity and power an electric motor. Producing, storing and distributing hydrogen is costly in both cash and. A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity through the reverse electrolysis chemical reaction in which hydrogen and oxygen react to produce water and electricity.
The reality is that the hydrogen economy is costly. Cmi today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire, through a whollyowned subsidiary, all the issued and outstanding shares of fuel cell systems provider hydrogenics corporation nasdaq. Hydrogen fuel cells need 3 to 4 times the energy vs. Hydrogen storage for fuel cell vehicles sciencedirect.
Hydrogen fuel cells innovation for the 21st century. Two main hurdles stand in the way of mass production and widespread consumer adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen energy and fuel cells european commission. In the marketplace, there has been a 36% increase in mw shipped globally, and a 50% increase in mw shipped in the us from 2009 to 2010. Pdf hydrogen and the state of art of fuel cells researchgate. The jury is still out on whether hydrogen will ultimately be our environmental savior, replacing the fossil fuels responsible for global warming and various nagging forms of pollution. This is an advantage in that the fuel cells require little warmup time, high temperature hazards are. Fuel cells fuel cells hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used to power nearly every enduse energy need.
During the 60s nasa and the military had been conducting tests with hydrogen to use hydrogen as a fuel and in fuel cells. Submit your abstract and participate in this exciting international event. When hydrogen is the fuel, electricity, water, and heat are the only resulting products, with none of the carbon emissions or pollution emitted by conventional internal combustion engines. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with. A pem proton exchange membrane cell uses hydrogen gas h 2 and oxygen gas o 2 as fuel. In a multidisciplinary field such as energy, hydrogen and fuel cells stands out by covering the entire width of hydrogen production and usage technologies, giving detailed descriptions of not just one but the range of very different fuel cells that have been developed or are under development. Airbus is getting behind a project to examine the potential for using hydrogen fuel cells on commercial airliners not to power the jet engines, but.
An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology by brian cook, heliocentris vancouver, canada whereas the 19th century was the century of the steam engine and the 20th century was the century of the internal combustion engine, it is likely that the 21st century will be the century of the fuel cell. Department of energy doe, nrel develops comprehensive storage solutions, with a focus on hydrogen storage material properties, storage system configurations, interface requirements, and welltowheel analyses. Hydrogen can be used as fuel in gas turbines, combustion engines or. Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, gas that is the most abundant element in the universe and can be used in a variety of fueling capacities, from mobile cell phones to motor vehicles. Pdf hydrogen technologies have experienced cycles of excessive expectations followed by. An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology. Although fuel cells and batteries are both considered electrochemical cells and consist of similar structure, fuel cells require a continuous source of fuel and oxygen to run. Hydrogen and fuel cells are seeing a resurgence in interest. A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical potential energy energy stored in molecular bonds into electrical energy. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen usually from air to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually comes. Fuel cells are currently one of the best alternatives to common thermodynamic. Some of these technologies are still under development and surrounded by considerable uncertainty. Fuel cells and hydrogen energy technologies deliver clean, reliable power to leading edge corporate, academic and public sector. This is how an integrated energy system of the future might look combining large and small fuel cells for domestic and decentralised heat and electrical power.
The jig is already up, and the smart money knows it. Sofcs use a dense layer of ceramic as an electrolyte, which at high temperatures allows for the conductivity of oxygen ions. Fuel cells a realistic alternative for zero emission. The pros and cons of hydrogen and fuel cells, production. It seems a natural progression that the fuel of the future will be 100% hydrogen. A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel often hydrogen and an oxidizing agent often oxygen into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cell electric vehicle evaluation jennifer kurtz pi, sam sprik, chris ainscough, genevieve saur june 7, 2017. Molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc, solid oxide fuel cell sofc are explained, describing advantages and. Department of energy hydrogen and fuel cells program. The choice of electrochemical device, battery or fuel cell, depends upon use. Hydrogen and fuel cells production hydrogen and fuel cells transportation and distribution if hydrogen is to be the energy alternative of the next century and thus the next millennium, we must examine whether hydrogen production can possibly keep pace with the incredible energy needs of our ever expanding international economy. This resulted in conclusion that hydrogen did not require more safety precautions than working with petroleum. This information will be an asset to the hfcit program in formulating an overall education plan. When i came here i did it to research hydrogen cars, not all fuel cell vehicles, i cant see the benefit in obscuring the topic by adding it to another article.
Benefits and obstacles to the success of fuel cells and the development of a hydrogen based economy. The purpose of the hydrogen, fuel cells, and infrastructure technologies hfcit program baseline knowledge assessment is to measure the current level of awareness and understanding of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and the hydrogen economy. Airbus examines potential for using hydrogen fuel cells in. Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells to generate power using a chemical reaction rather than combustion, producing only water and heat as byproducts. Together, they meet todays demand for energy that is costcompetitive, highly reliable, clean, quiet, contained, modular, scalable and communityfriendly.
Hydrogen and fuel cell basics hydrogen and fuel cells nrel. Nrel researchers are working to unlock the potential of hydrogen as a fuel and to advance fuel cell technologies for automobiles, equipment, and buildings. This initiative, supported by legislation in the energy policy act of 2005 epact 2005 and the advanced energy initiative of 2006, aims to develop hydrogen, fuel cell and infrastructure technologies to make fuelcell. Hydrogen and fuel cells for data center applications. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that use hydrogen.
In 2003, president bush announced a program called the hydrogen fuel initiative hfi during his state of the union address. An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology 2 dioxide fig. However, before hydrogen can be used as fuel on a global scale we must establish cost effective means of producing, storing, and distributing the gas, develop cost efficient technologies for converting hydrogen to electricity e. The full launch of fcvs in the market overview hydrogen fuel cells june 20110525. Pdf the role of hydrogen and fuel cells in the global energy system. Fuel cell electric vehicle evaluation doe hydrogen and. Fuel cells generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction in which oxygen and a hydrogenrich fuel combine to form water. Section 007 andrew scheidel emily skaer elizabeth golanski. Fuel cells and hydrogen setis in brief hydrogen h 2 is an energy carrier that can store and deliver energy in widely useable forms. Fuel cellsstationary power fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electricity while only producing heat and water as byproducts. Modified stoichiometric oxygenhydrogen moh gas is the best hydrogen storage.
As fuel use has developed through time, the percentage of hydrogen content in the fuels has increased. Hydrogen fuel cell technology for the sustainable future of. Solid oxide fuel cell sofc sofcs are the highest temperature fuel cells, operating at about 1800 degrees fahrenheit. Fuel cell microgrids are on the rise, the result of a natural pairing of two technologies fuel cells and microgrids that serve a mutual mission. An overview of promotions and demotions interdiscip j chem, 2017 doi. It will take time for governments and automakers to concede this, but this is. Hydrogen production and delivery the fuel cell technologies program is pursuing a number of pathways to generate hydrogen for fuel cells. The incumbent technologies that support power needs in data centers are primarily diesel generators for backup power and electricity from the grid for prime power. In one volume, respected experts bent sorensen and giuseppe spazzafumo.