DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MALNAD COLEGE OF ENGINEERING

HASSAN

SEMINAR
ON

FUEL CELLS
PRESENTED BY
1

Rajath S Sakhare
4MC11ME086

INTRODUCTION:
What Are Fuel Cells ?

Fuel cells produce electricity through Electrochemical

reactions.
It produces electricity from fuel and an oxidant which react
in the presence of an electrolyte.
The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products
flow out Of it, while the electrolyte remains within it
Every fuel cell also has an electrolyte, which carries
electrically charged particles from one electrode to the
other, and a catalyst, which speeds the reactions at the
electrodes.

FUEL CELL TYPES :

Fuel

Electrolyte

cell
name
Proton exchange
membrane fuel cell
(PEMFC)

Sulphonated solid
Fluorupolymer.

Qualified
Power
(W)
50-100 KW

Working
Temperature
(C)
50-100C

Phosphoric acid
fuel cell (PAFC)

Molten
phosphoric acid
(H3PO4)

100-400KW

200C

Molten carbonate
fuel cell (MCFC)

Molten alkaline
carbonate (e.g.,
sodium
bicarbonate
NaHCO3)

20-50 MW

600-650C

Solid oxide fuel cell

(SOFC)

Zirconia -based
ceramics

100-220 KW

800-1000C
3

Fuel Cell Vs. Battery

Basic operating principles of both are very similar, but there are se
intrinsic differences.
Hydrogen fuel cell
Galvanic cell (battery)

Anode and cathode are gases in

contact with a platinum catalyst.
The amount of energy is
determined by the
amount of gas reactants
Reactants are externally supplied,
no recharging required.

Anode and cathode are metals.

The amount of energy the battery supplies
determined by the amount of chemicals in
the battery
Reactants are internally consumed,4
need periodic recharging.

Working:
THE TECHNOLOGY :

Anod
e
Cathod
e
Fig.1 : Block diagram of a Fuel Cell Power System
( Courtesy:NFCRC-University of California)

THE TECHNOLOGY

(CONTND)

Each cell consists of

-Cathode

-Electrolyte

-Anode

-Separator plate

Fig.2 : Construction of Fuel cell stack

( Courtesy:NFCRC-University of
California)

Fuel cell stacks made of many

individual cells

Fuel cells produce electricity

through Electrochemical reactions
It produces electricity from fuel and
an oxidant which react in the
presence of an electrolyte.
6

7
Fig. 3 : Schematic View of working of proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
(Courtesy: photovoltaicell.com)

ADVANTAGES OF FUEL CELL

Quiet operation.

High power density .

High efficiency conversion.

They are far more energy-efficient than gasoline-fueled

vehicles .

Can provide heat and high quality power.

Cheaper to run than Gen-sets.

LIMITATIONS OF FUEL CELL

High costs compared to other energy systems

technology.

Sensitivity to quality of fuel.

Availability & limited manufacturers.

Fuel not stored on site (lower level of energy

security ).

APPLICATIONS:

TRANSPORTATION
APPLICATIONS
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)
Fuel cells are primary technology
under development for vehicle power .

Bus & personal vehicles applications

are targeted.
The world's first Fuel Cell Ship
HYDRA used an Alkaline Fuel Cell
(AFC )system with 6.5 kW net output.
Type 212 submarine with fuel cell
propulsion is developed by German
Navy .

STATIONARY
APPLICATIONS
Small residential or micro-application
PEM Fuel Cells 1KW>5KW

Commercial combined heat and power

PAFC & MCFC 50KW>500KW

Industrial application
200KW> +1MW

10

APPLICATIONS:

Fig. 4 : A fuel cell public bus in Perth, Western

Australia (Courtesy : The WA Dept. of Planning and
Infrastructure).

Fig.5: Type 212 Submarine developed by German navy

with fuel cell propulsion ( Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org)

11
Fig. 6 : A 2.8 MW system that FuelCell Energy
installed at a wastewater treatement plant Chino,
California.

Fig. 7 : The world's first certified Fuel Cell Boat

(HYDRA) Germany.( Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org)

Honda's video guide to Hydrogen

fuel cell technology in cars

12

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN
INDIA:

Indigenous base for research & industrial production being

established.

Prototypes of Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFCs) and

Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFCs) are developed.

The application of fuel cells is demonstrated for decentralized

power generation.

A Fuel Cell (PEMFC)-battery hybrid van has been developed in

the country and has undergone field performance evaluation.

3 kW capacity UPS based on PEMFC developed.

Reformer for a 10 kW PEMFC system developed and tested.

13

CONCLUSION :

Large scale investment in FCV development has only occurred

in the last few years. It is is estimated that to date over $ 2
billion has been invested in FCV development. Substantial
progress has already been achieved.
Intense effort is now being made by major industrial
corporations and small hi-tech companies alike to optimize
system performance and reduce costs . This will take a few
years but there are early indications of progress and we can
expect that FCVs will either meet or beat the economic targets
needed to achieve commercial success.

14

REFERENCES
1)Brian Cook, An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology, paper presentation,
December -2001
2)T.S.R. Prasada Rao,Opportunities And Challenges For Fuel Cells In India , Prepr. Pap.Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem. 2003, 48(2), 79.
3)Charles Edison et al , Fuel Cells, Charles Edison Fund, (2008).
4)Sharon Thomas et al, Fuel Cells-Green power, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los
Alamos, New Mexico.
5)Bouziane Mahmah et al, Dynamic Performance of Fuel Cell Power Module for
Mobility Applications, Engineering, 2013, 5, 219-229 (2013).
6)M.W. Melaina , Biogas and Fuel Cell Opportunities, 7th AgSTAR National
Conference.NREL (2013).
7)Dr. Martin Winter et al, What Are Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Super capacitors? Chem.
Rev.2004, 104, 42454269 (2014).

15

16

Thank
you.