Presentation Fuel Cell

PRESENTATION ON
FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY
Submitted by: Submitted to:

Md Raihan Arfin Dr. Ankur Gaur
M.Tech-Chemical Engineering
Contents:
Fuel Cell Introduction
Principle and Technology
Types of Fuel Cells
Thermodynamics of Fuel Cells
Fuel Cell System Design
Fuel Cell Applications
Case Study
Conclusion
References
Introduction……
• A Fuel Cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical
energy of a fuel and an oxidizing agent into electricity through redox
reactions.
• The by-products are usually heat and water or steam.
• It is a very eco-friendly way of energy production.
• The cost and efficiency need to be checked and optimized for wide
and economical application in day to day life.
Fuel cell components:
Technology and Principle of Operation:
• A fuel cell works on the principle of conversion of chemical energy to
electric energy by two separate electrochemical reactions.
• In hydrogen based fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen are used to produce
electricity along with heat and water.
• While the protons migrate through membrane, the electrons are

forced to flow in external electric circuit to generate electric current.
• A fuel cell generates electricity from electrochemical reactions. Unlike
a battery in which energy is stored and once used up it must be
discarded, a fuel cell uses an external supply of chemical energy and
can run as long as source of hydrogen and oxygen is supplied.
• It contains two electrodes, namely cathode and anode, where

electrochemical reactions take place and an electrolyte which carries
the electrically charged particles between them.
• It often requires catalyst to speed up the reactions at electrodes,

commonly used catalysts are platinum, palladium and their alloys.
Types of Fuel Cells:
• Fuel cells can be divided into five major categories based on the type of
electrolyte used.
• This classification determines the kind of electro-chemical reactions

that take place in the cell, the kind of catalyst required, the
temperature range in which the cell operates, the fuel required and
other factors.
• These characteristics, in turn, affect applications for which these cells

are most suitable.
• Alkaline Fuel Cell
• Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)
• Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
• Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)
• Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
• Solid oxide fuel cell

Thermodynamics of Fuel Cell:
• Studying the thermodynamics of fuel cells provide a framework to
understand the electrochemical and thermodynamic basics of
operation of fuel cell.
• The influence of thermodynamic variables like temperature and

pressure etc., on fuel cell performance has to be analysed to predict
how fuel cell interacts with the system where it is applied.
• A fuel cell reaction is a chemical process that can be divided into two
electrochemical half cell reactions.
• The most common form of reaction encountered in fuel cells are

H2 + (1/2)O2 H 2O
• The maximum work obtained from the above reaction is related to free energy
change of the reaction.
∆G = (-nFE);
where, ∆G is free energy change;
n is number of moles of electrons;
E is cell potential;
F is Faraday’s constant (96500 C/g.mole electron)
S.No Type of Fuel Cell Anode reaction Cathode reaction
1 Polymer electrolyte membrane H2 2H+ + 2e+ 1/2O2 + 2H+ + 2e+ H2O

fuel cell
2 Alkaline fuel cell H2 + 2(OH) 2H2O + 2e- 1/2O2 + H2O+2e- 2(OH-)
3 Oxide fuel cell H2 + O2- H2O + 2e-

CO + O2- CO2+ 2e- 1/2O2 + 2e- O2-
CH4 + 4O2- 2H2O + CO2 + 8e-
4 Molten carbonate fuel cell H2 + CO32- H2O + CO2 + 2e- 1/2O2 + CO2 + 2e- CO32-
CO + CO32- 2CO2 + 2e-
• The enthalpy change ∆H for a fuel cell reaction indicates the entire
heat released by the reaction at constant pressure. The fuel cell
potential in accordance with ∆H is defined as the thermo-neutral
potential, Et.
∆H = (-nFEt)
• The electrochemical reactions taking place in a fuel cell determine the

ideal performance of fuel cells.
• It is very clear that from one kind of cell to other the reactions vary,
and so do the types of fuel and the minimum operating temperature
for each type of fuel cell.
• The effect of temperature and pressure on the cell potetial may be
analysed on the basis of Gibb’s free energy variation with respect to T
and P.
(∂E/ ∂T)P = [∆S/nF]
(∂E/ ∂P)T = [-∆V/nF]
Where, - ∆V = change in volume

∆S = change in entropy
E = cell potential
T and P = Temperature and Pressure respectively
F = Faraday’s constant
n = number of electrons transferred
Influence of temperature on fuel cell:
1.0
AFC
SOFC
0.8 PEFC MCFC
Cell
Vol (V)
0.6
0.4
300 500 700 900 1100 1300

Temperature (K)
Effect of Pressure on fuel cell:
• An increase in operating pressure has several positive effect on fuel
cell performance.
• The partial pressure of reactant gases, mass transfer rates are higher
at higher pressure.
• The loss of electrolyte by evaporation is reduced at higher operating
pressure.
• The system efficiency is increased by the increase in operating
pressure.
Fuel Cell Efficiency:
• The thermal efficiency of fuel cell or simply fuel cell efficiency is
defined as the amount of useful energy produced relative to the
change in stored chemical energy that is released when a fuel is
reacted with an oxidant.
efficiency = (useful output energy)

∆H
where, ∆H is the enthalpy of the reaction.
Fuel Cell system design:
• Fuel cell system designs range from very simple to very complex
depending upon the fuel cell application and the system efficiency desired.
• A fuel cell system can be very efficient with just the fuel cell stack and a
few other balance-of-plant components or may require many outside
components to optimize the fuel cell performance.
• The fuel cell catalyst, membranes, and flow-field plates are very important
areas for fuel cell improvement, but stack optimization is as equally
important.
• Oxidant Air Flow: The oxidant air is filtered for particulates as it is pumped into
the fuel cell from the atmosphere. The air pressure transducer keeps track of
the air pressure coming into the fuel cell. The oxidant air is filtered again for
particulates, and then humidified before it enters the fuel cell stack.
• Hydrogen Flow: The pure hydrogen is stored in a compressed gas cylinder.

There can be one or more check valves before the hydrogen enters the system.
A mass flow controller would also be beneficial to monitor the flow rate.
• Water and Hydrogen Out: The hydrogen exits the fuel cell stack by going
through a particulate filter. The pressure transducer records the pressure of
this stream before it is purged. The water is purged through an external
product water vent.
Fuel Cell Applications:
• Fuel cell has wide range of applications which include:
Portable Towers
Transportation
 Automobiles
 Buses
 Utility Vehicles
Stationary Power Applications

Case Study: A case study of fuel cell used for delivering 8
week autonomy for wireless CCTV Ltd…….
• Wireless CCTV Ltd is a manufacturer and supplier of rapid

deployment CCTV towers which provide complete security to
remote areas.
• Remote areas often don’t have mains power, meaning WCCTV

could only be powered by generators or batteries.
• While generators are noisy and pollution causing, batteries often

require replacement or regular charging.
• So, Wireless CCTV Ltd decided to use fuel cells system to deliver a
reliable solution offering uninterrupted power for 8 weeks.
• The fuel cell solution offers proactive site protection and monitoring
and for this type of application can be up to 75% cheaper than
manned guarding.
Conclusion:
• Fuel Cells are very potential source of producing clean energy.
• Fuel cells works on the principle of conversion of chemical energy into heat and
electricity.
• There are different types of fuel cells based on the electrochemical reactions
taking place and their use in different applications.
• The effect of thermodynamic variables needs to be analysed in order to ensure
optimum performance.
• Fuel Cells find variety of applications all from transportation to stationary power
applications.
• The manufacturing and operational cost needs to be checked and optimized for
wide and more economical use in day to day life.
References:
Arnab Choudhary, H. Chandra, 2013, ‘Application of fuel cell
technology’, Science direct, 431-434.
I. Pilatowsky, R.J. Romero, ‘Thermodynamic and Electrochemical

Principles’, Chapter-2, 25-29.
www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/types-fuel-cells
www.guelcellsystems.co.uk/fuel-cell-delivers-8-week-autonomy-for-
wireless-cctv-ltd/

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PRESENTATION ON

FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY

Submitted by: Submitted to:

• The by-products are usually heat and water or steam.

• It is a very eco-friendly way of energy production.

• While the protons migrate through membrane, the electrons are

• It contains two electrodes, namely cathode and anode, where

• It often requires catalyst to speed up the reactions at electrodes,

• This classification determines the kind of electro-chemical reactions

• These characteristics, in turn, affect applications for which these cells

• Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)

• Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)

• Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)

• Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)

• Solid oxide fuel cell

• The influence of thermodynamic variables like temperature and

• The most common form of reaction encountered in fuel cells are

1 Polymer electrolyte membrane H2 2H+ + 2e+ 1/2O2 + 2H+ + 2e+ H2O

2 Alkaline fuel cell H2 + 2(OH) 2H2O + 2e- 1/2O2 + H2O+2e- 2(OH-)

3 Oxide fuel cell H2 + O2- H2O + 2e-

• The electrochemical reactions taking place in a fuel cell determine the

Where, - ∆V = change in volume

300 500 700 900 1100 1300

efficiency = (useful output energy)

• Hydrogen Flow: The pure hydrogen is stored in a compressed gas cylinder.

Stationary Power Applications

• Wireless CCTV Ltd is a manufacturer and supplier of rapid

• Remote areas often don’t have mains power, meaning WCCTV

• While generators are noisy and pollution causing, batteries often

I. Pilatowsky, R.J. Romero, ‘Thermodynamic and Electrochemical

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