A lot of talk has been going around in this country about use of alternative fuels and particularly a lot has been said about the hydrogen fuel that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. But do we have a clear understanding of how the hydrogen fuel cell works? Definition can be made very simple or on other hand it can be explained in a very complicated terminology . In the cell the conversion of chemicals namely oxygen and hydrogen into water happens in the fuel cell and in this process electricity is produced. A battery is a similar device that works on the electrochemical principle. A battery stores all its chemical inside its compartment and conversion of these chemicals happens inside resulting in the production of electricity. After the chemical inside finishes the battery stops producing electricity and is considered “dead”. Eventually it is either thrown or recharged.
Fuel Cell: Does it “die”
Unlike the battery, in case of fuel cell the cell never dies – as long as the flow of chemical is maintained in the cell, the fuel cell continues producing electricity . Oxygen and hydrogen are the most commonly used chemicals in the fuel cell. The end product of hydrogen fuel cell is water vapor and that is a big advantage. There are many types of fuel cell which has been produced; main among them is the polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The department of energy is concentration on this type as it has the potential of being used for vehicle applications
The positive thing about PEMFC is that it has a high power density with relatively lower operating temperature (ranging from sixty to eighty degrees Celsius or 140-176 degrees Fahrenheit) . Due to its low operating temperature it doesn’t take much time for the fuel cell to warm up and start producing electricity. That is big plus point for PEMFC.
Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is another promising prospect that can be used for powering the vehicles. This is another type of fuel cell that has similar feature with regard to operating temperature. But they are relatively less efficient and are more expensive. This is due to the fact that DMFC requires a good quantity of platinum to act as a catalyst
Hydrogen Fuel Cell: An Emerging Technology
Hydrogen fuel is the new generation of alternative energy. This is due to the fact that hydrogen fuel cell burns cleanly and also runs efficiently . Thus the dreams and hopes of supporters of alternative fuel energy seems to be coming alive They can see a clean and an efficient vehicle that runs fantastic and has very low and safe emission .