PEMFC Research Proposal Final 2010

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Fuel Cells: AlternativeEnergy of the Future?Culminating Research ProposalBradley Hallier



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Bradley Hallier Grade 10Roth lisberger January 5, 2010

The Hydrogen Fuel Cell:Alternative Energy Source of theFuture?

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Research Question: Can I build an effective, cost efficient hydrogen fuel cell that can practically

be used in place of non-green energy sources (i.e.- batteries, coal, gas) ?

Rationale: Hydr ogen Fuel cells are a pr om ising solution to the energy crisis and po llution of the

wo rld. Hydr ogen is the most abundan t element on ear th, and when used in a f uel cell, can be

used as a pow er sour ce. Fuel cells rely on hydr ogen and oxygen , wh ich are abundan t in nature ,

and will not be de pleted in the near f uture.

I am doing this pr oject because when I saw th at f uel cells could be a pr om ising

alterna tive energy , I became interes ted. Fr om th ere , I w anted to k now mo re about how th ey wo r k,

and if I co uld build one. Now th at I k now how th ey wor k, I believe that I c an build one and have

my own hydr ogen pow ered energy sour ce.

LITERATURE REVIEW

During the past f ew decades , increases in oil and other f uel consumpt ion has caused

many peop le to sear ch fo r alterna tive energy sour ces. One ty pe of alterna tive energy sour ce that

pr ovides a pr om ising f uture is the Hydr ogen Fuel Cell.



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How It Works

A Hydr ogen Fuel Cell is essen tially a battery that runs off Hydr ogen and Oxygen. As

Hydr ogen enters the f uel cell , it passes the anode , wh ich s plits the Hydr ogen¶s positively charged

pr otons f r om its nega tively charged electr ons. The positive ions then pass thr ough a Polymer

Electr olyte Mem brane (N ice and Strick land). Altho ugh the positive ions pass thr ough the

mem brane , the Hydr ogen¶s electr ons are block ed and redire cted into the cir cuit th at they will

power (Breakthr ough Technologies Institute). After pr oviding pow er to the cir cuit, they return

to the cathode where they com bine with the positive ions and Oxygen mo lecules to fo r m the

reaction¶s by pr oduct: w ater (Fuele conomy.g ov).

Advantages

There are many advan tages to using a f uel cell as oppo sed to an engine to pow er a car.

First, the only by pr oduct of a f uel cell is water , there is no carbon diox ide emitted. Second,

Hydr ogen is the most abundan t element in nature; the only pr o blem wo uld be where to store it,

not where to f ind it, as is the pr o blem w ith o il (US D e par tment of E nergy). Th ird, there are

many diverse ways to o btain Hydr ogen : chemically , f r om biomass , and even f r om cer tain algae¶s

(Fields).

Possible Problems (Research)

As with any pr opo sed idea , there are also po ssible pr o blems that may arise. Wh ile a

Hydr ogen Fuel Cell is an ideal energy ³ genera tor ,´ it also tak es an ideal envir onment fo r it to

f unct ion eff icien tly. A Hydr ogen Fuel Cell requires the tempera ture to be ar ound 80ÛC (PBS), in



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addi tion to a s pecif ic tempera ture , it also requires its PEM m em brane to have the right water

content. If it is too dry , it w ill crack, and if it is too w et, it w ill not f unct ion eff icien tly. Another

set back is that Hydr ogen does not have the highest energy densi ty, one must have a lot mo re of it

to go a distance than one would need if ethanolwas used.

Restraints (Research)

The main res train t that is ho lding back the Hydr ogen Fuel cell f r om bulk pr oduction is its

price. R ight now, th e f uel cell costs about $200/kW, wh ich is oppo sed to the $0.20 average for

nuclear pow er plant genera ted energy (Energy Infor mation Adminis tration). The price of f uel

cells is expected to com e down in the com ing decade , po ssibly to $30-$50 (Ro se). If the f uel cell

was devel oped to the point that it became that chea p, it could be used for any a pp lication

involving pow er (Ques tions And Answers A bout Fuel Cells).

Hydrogen Isolation Research

Along with the developm ent of new mo re eff icien t Fuel Cells , exper ts are also trying to

crea te more eff icien t ways to isolate Hydr ogen. One technique that is close to being off icially

adopted is Pyr olysis. Pyr olysis is a ther mal pr ocess that decompo ses organi c materials in an

iner t atmos phere. The pr ocess break s mo lecules at their weak est po ints, crea ting ³ Hydr ogen -rich

oil.´ Th e oil then goes thr ough another pr ocess to isolate the Hydr ogen. In the end , Hydr ogen is

isolated; leaving carbon that can be used as a f er tilizer (Fields).

A mo re interes ting way that some resear chers are crea ting Hydr ogen is with algae. For a

long time scien tists have k nown that algae can pr oduce small amoun ts of Hydr ogen , but just

recently a resear cher at the Universi ty of Cali fornia at Ber k eley found that removing a cer tain



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ty pe of algae f r om its sul f ur rich envir onmen t can cause it to release larger amounts of

Hydr ogen. The pr ocess is done by k ee ping the algae in a sunny , sul f ur rich atmo s phere for a f ew

days , and then placing it into a sulf ur f ree area. The change causes the algae to p er for m a

³mo lecular switch´ wh ich m ak es it release more Hydr ogen (Fields).

Fuel Cell Advantages

Out of th e many ty pes of f uel cells , the Hydr ogen PEM F uel Cell is one of the best

because it off ers a high pow er densi ty, w ith a low w eight and volume. It has a rela tively f ast

star t-u p time (it can war m u p quick ly to its eff icien t opera ting tempera ture) , wh ich m ak es itacce ptable for cars and other things that need ³ qui ck pow er ́ (F uel Cells Wo r k s, Gursk i and

Nelson).

Hydr ogen Fuel Cells off er a pr om ising answer to f inding a practical alterna tive energy

sour ce. They are constantly being pushed to better eff iciency, and are beginning to show u p in

cars. In the near f uture , they will become affordable for the average consumer.



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Works Cited

Breakthr ough Technologies Institute. ³F uel Cell Basics How Th ey Wo r k .´ Fuel Cells 2000 . N. p.,n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .f uelcells. org / basics/how .htm l>.

- - - . ³Q ues tions and Anwsers A bout Fuel Cells. ´ N .d. PDF f ile.

Buchmann , Isidor. The Fuel Cell . Cadex E lectr onics, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .ba tteryuniversi ty.com/p ar ttwo-52 .htm>.

Energy Infor mation Adminis tration. ³A verage R etail Price of E lectricity to U ltimate Customers by End-Use Secto r , by State, June 2009 and 2008 .´ Average Retail Price of Electricity toUltimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State . Energy Infor mation Adminis tration, n.d. Web. 18 No v. 2008 . <http://www .eia.d oe.gov/cnea f/electricity/e pm/t able 5_6_ a.htm l>.

Fields , Scott . ³M ak ing the Best of B iomass : Hydr ogen for Fuel Cells. ´ Environmental Health Perspectives 111 (2003 ): 38+ . Questia Online Library . Web. 18 D ec. 2008 . <http://www .ques tia.com/googleScho lar.qs t; jsessi onid=KVdX GqDW vY17xG HJxx47C5Lpt bcY pFDCh08F glk r R5SQDpR0Rh36!-2016257069!-82436048? docId=5000608699 >.

Fuel Cells Wo r k s. ³T y pes of Fuel Cells. ´ Fuel Cells Works . N. p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct . 2008 . <http://www .f uelcells wo r k s.com/T y pesoff uelcells. htm l>.

Gursk i, St e phen, and Douglas J Nelson. ³Co ld-Star t Fuel Eco nomy and Pow er Limitations for a PEM F uel Cell. ´ SAE International . SAE I nterna tional, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .sae. org /technical/pa pers /2003-01-0422 >.

National R enewable Energy Labra tory. Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Research . Allian ce for Sustainable Energy LLC, 25 S e pt. 2009 . Web. 18 Dec. 2008 .

<http://www .nrel.g ov/Hydr ogen />. N ice, Kari m, and Jonathan Strick land. ³ How F uel Cells Wo r k .´ HowStuffWorks . How St uff

Wo r k s Inc, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2009 . <http:// auto.howstuffwo r k s.com/f uel -eff iciency/alterna tive-f uels /f uel -cell. htm>.

PBS . ³ How F uel Cells Wo r k .´ Nova ScienceNOW . PBS, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www . p bs.org /wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3210/01-fcw-01 .htm l>.

Rose, Ro ber t. ³Q ues tions and Answers about Hydr ogen and Fuel Cells. ´ N .d. PDF f ile. Us De par tment of E nergy. ³F uel Cell Technologies Pr ogram.´ EERE Fuel Cell Technologies

Program . N. p., n.d. Web. 13 D ec. 2008 . <http://www1 .eere.energy.g ov/Hydr ogenand f uelcells />.

Fuele conomy.g ov. ³ How Th ey Wo r k Hydr ogen Fuel Cells. ´ fueleconomy.gov . N. p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct . 2009 . <http://www .f uele conomy.g ov/f eg/fcv _pem.shtm l>.



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RESEARCH DESIGN

Research Method: The aim of th is pr oject is to c rea te a wor k ing and opt imally eff icien t mo del

of a f uel cell. Once the wor k ing model is crea ted , it w ill be used to show oth er peop le and

class mates how use f ul a hydr ogen f uel cell can be, and how it f unct ions. To accomp lish th is, the

resear cher will look and analyze studies on the eff ectiveness of the hydr ogen f uel cell to

deter mine if it is a pr om ising f uture energy sour ce. The resear cher will also comp are the

possible uses for a f uel cell to everyday f uels , and deter mine if it is practical to mo ve f r om, fo r

examp le, fossil f ueled things to th ings f ueled by hydr ogen. The resear cher will use scien tif ic

ar ticles, past resear ch, and thoughts f r om leading scientists to hel p deter mine if indeed , a f uel cell can re place other f uels in cars , toys, and possibly houses along with even larger crea tions.

Instruments

y Sc ientif ic ar ticles- to see what the scientif ic wo rld views as possible alterna tive energy sour ces

comp ared to wh at they think of th e f uel cell

y News stories - to t rack the newest leading alterna tive f uel sour ces that comp ete with f uel

cells

y R eading resear ch f r om top scientists- to gain the s pecif ics for my resear ch (how f uel cells

wo r k, new eff iciency impr ovements, materials needed to build one, envir onmental

conditions required for eff icien t f unct ions.)

Thr ough resear ch f r om top scientists, the resear cher will gain k now ledge on the s pecif ic par ts

of a f uel cell , and what as a who le mak e it su perior to oth er f uels. The resear cher will also

o bserve the criticisms of the new energy sour ce, and what barriers it may run into during its

devel opm ent. News stories will hel p the resear cher follow wh at is going on in the wo rld rela ting





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y Hydr ogen and Oxygen (pr oduced by ³h and ´ )- $15-$30

y Fuel cell ³c ase ´ (co ntains PEM, and other critical compo nen ts)- $200-$300

y Structure to ho ld all compo nen ts (³ box´, coo ling su pp lies) - $40-$60

Potential Problems and Ethical Issues: In sear ching for ethical issues that wo uld a ppear

during my resear ch and crea tion of m y f inal pr oduct, I fo und that the most pr om inen t issues that

I could f ace were to do w ith o btaining adequa te f unds to c rea te my f uel cell model , and

envir onmental issues that could arise during my experiments. If after I comp lete my resear ch

this year , and decide that I w ant to co ntinue my resear ch (assu ming the hydr ogen f uel cell is a

pr om ising f uel sour ce). I would attempt to c rea te an eff icien t and f unct ional f uel cell (wh ich is

my main reas on for resear ching this top ic). In ter ms of ethics, I wo uld need to mak e sure that the

ways that I made my reactants (hydr ogen and oxygen) was envir onmentally f riendly and saf e. I

think that the actual model is the larges t po ssible barrier for my pr oject ( again , assu ming that f uel

cells are practical).



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Bibliography

Bellis , Mary. ³ Hydr ogen Fuel Cells. ´ About.com . The New Yor k T imes Comp any , n.d. Web. 18Dec. 2008 . <http:// inven to rs.ab out.com/o d/f star tinven tions/a/Fuel _Cells. htm>.

Breakthr ough Technologies Institute. ³F uel Cell Basics How Th ey Wo r k .´ Fuel Cells 2000 . N. p.,

n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .f uelcells. org / basics/how .htm l>. - - - . ³Q ues tions and Answers A bout Fuel Cells. ´ N .d. PDF f ile. Buchmann , Isidor. The Fuel Cell . Cadex E lectr onics, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 .

<http://www .ba tteryuniversi ty.com/p ar ttwo-52 .htm>. ³EERE F uel Cell Technologies Pr ogram.´ Fuel Cell Technologies Program . US D e par tment of

Energy , n.d. Web. 18 D ec. 2008 . <http://www1 .eere.energy.g ov/hydr ogenand f uelcells />. Energy Infor mation Adminis tration. ³A verage R etail Price of E lectricity to U ltimate Customers

by End-Use Secto r , by State, June 2009 and 2008 .´ Average Retail Price of Electricity toUltimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State . Energy Infor mation Adminis tration, n.d. Web. 18 No v. 2008 . <http://www .eia.d oe.gov/cnea f/electricity/e pm/t able 5_6_ a.htm l>.

Fields , Scott . ³M ak ing the Best of B iomass : Hydr ogen for Fuel Cells. ´ Environmental Health Perspectives 111 (2003 ): 38+ . Questia Online Library . Web. 18 D ec. 2008 . <http://www .ques tia.com/googleScho lar.qs t; jsessi onid=KVdX GqDW vY17xG HJxx47C5Lpt bcY pFDCh08F glk r R5SQDpR0Rh36!-2016257069!-82436048? docId=5000608699 >.

Gursk i, St e phen, and Douglas J Nelson. ³Co ld-Star t Fuel Eco nomy and Pow er Limitations for a PEM F uel Cell. ´ SAE International . SAE I nterna tional, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .sae. org /technical/pa pers /2003-01-0422 >.

National R enewable Energy Labra tory. Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Research . Allian ce for

Sustainable Energy LLC, 25 S e pt. 2009 . Web. 18 Dec. 2008 . <http://www .nrel.g ov/hydr ogen />.

N ice, Kari m, and Jonathan Strick land. ³ How F uel Cells Wo r k .´ HowStuffWorks . How St uff Wo r k s Inc, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2009 . <http:// auto.howstuffwo r k s.com/f uel -eff iciency/alterna tive-f uels /f uel -cell. htm>.

PBS . ³ How F uel Cells Wo r k .´ Nova ScienceNOW . PBS, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www . p bs.org /wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3210/01-fcw-01 .htm l>.

Rose, Ro ber t. ³Q ues tions and Answers about Hydr ogen and Fuel Cells. ´ N .d. PDF f ile. Sp iegel , Co lleen. PEM Fuel Cell Modeling and Simulation Using MATLAB . N. p.: Acade mic

Press , n.d. Print. ³T y pes of Fuel Cells. ´ Fuel Cells Works . N. p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct . 2008 .

<http://www .f uelcells wo r k s.com/T y pesoff uelcells. htm l>. Us De par tment of E nergy. ³F uel Cell Technologies Pr ogram.´ EERE Fuel Cell Technologies

Program . N. p., n.d. Web. 13 D ec. 2008 . <http://www1 .eere.energy.g ov/hydr ogenand f uelcells />.




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Literature Schematic Sources

Themes

How ItWo r k s

Pr ovides His to ry

Involved in

R esear ch

EncourageUse of

Fuel Cells

Brea kthr ough Technologies Ins titute. ³F uel Cell Basics How Th ey Wo r k .´ Fuel Cells 2000 . N. p., n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .f uelcells. org / basics/how .htm l>.

X X

- - - . ³Q ues tions and Anwsers A bout Fuel Cells. ´ N .d. PDF f ile. X X X Buchmann , Isidor. The Fuel Cell . Cadex E lectr onics, n.d. Web. 13 No v.

2008 . <http://www .ba tteryuniversi ty.com/p ar ttwo-52 .htm>. X X

Energy Infor mation Adminis tration. ³A verage R etail Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End -Use Sector , by State, June 2009and 2008 .´ Average Retail Price of Electricity to UltimateCustomers by End-Use Sector, by State . Energy Infor mation Adminis tration, n.d. Web. 18 No v. 2008 .

<http://www .eia.d oe.gov/cnea f/electricity/e pm/t able 5_6_ a.htm l>. Fields , Scott . ³M ak ing the Best of B iomass : Hydr ogen for Fuel Cells. ´

Environmental Health Perspectives 111 (2003 ): 38+ . QuestiaOnline Library . Web. 18 Dec. 2008 . <http://www .ques tia.com/googleScho lar.qs t>.

X X X X

Nice, Kari m, and Jona than Strick land. ³ How Fuel Cells Wo r k .´ HowStuffWorks . How St uff Wo r k s Inc, n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2009 . X X

Fuel Cells Wo r k s. ³T y pes of Fuel Cells. ´ Fuel Cells Works . N. p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct . 2008 . <http://www .f uel cells wor k s.com/Ty pesoff uel cells. htm l>.

X X

Gurs k i, Ste phen, and Douglas J Nelson. ³Co ld-Star t Fuel Economy and Power Limitations for a PEM F uel Cell. ´ SAE International . SAEInterna tional , n.d. Web. 13 No v. 2008 . <http://www .sae. org /technical/pa pers/2003-01-0422 >.

X X

National R ene wable Energy Labra tory. Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Research . Allian ce for Sustainable Energy LLC, 25 S e pt. 2009 . Web. 18Dec. 2008 . <http://www .nrel.g ov/hydr ogen />.

X X X X

PBS. ³ How Fuel Cells Wo r k .´ Nova ScienceNOW . PBS, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2008 . <http://www . p bs.org /wgbh/nova/scien cenow/3210/01-fcw-01 .htm l>.

X

Rose, Ro ber t. ³Q ues tions and Answers about Hydr ogen and Fuel Cells. ´

N.d. PDF f ile. X X X X

Us De par tment of E nergy. ³F uel Cell Technologies Pr ogram.´ EERE Fuel Cell Technologies Program . N. p., n.d. Web. 13 D ec. 2008 . <http://www1 .eere.energy.g ov/hydr ogenand f uelcells />.

X X


X X X X



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Web Site Evaluation Form 1

1. What is the Web address of th is site?http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_pem.shtml

2. Who m ain tains the site?The department of Energy (government). What are their creden tials ? Government (Most Likely Reliable).

3. What organiza tion is aff ilia ted with the site? The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

4. When was the site crea ted?Unknown

When was the site last u pdated? It is updated daily.

On what date did you visi t th is site? November 13

5. What is the pur pose of the site (infor m, explain , persuade , sell , etc ) Its purpose is to inform

people about fuel cells and convince people to change to alternative energy sources.

6. What is the top ic th is site addresses ? This website talks about fuel cells and gives examples of

how they work.

7. Given the above infor mation, evalua te this web site.

Is it autho ritative? Yes

Is it o b ject ive? Yes, they inform without biases

Is it curren t? Yes

Is it a ppr opriate for you needs ? Yes

Will you use this sour ce? YesWhy or why not? Because it gives some detailed information

on the constructions of fuel cells and gives extra info that can benefit my research.



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Web Site Evaluation Form 2

1. What is the Web address of th is site? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell

2. Who m ain tains the site?V arious Contributors.

What are their creden tials ? The contributors credentials vary, but for the most part the

information stated is creditable because it statements make sense compared to other websites¶

statements.

3. What organiza tion is aff ilia ted with the site? Wikipedia and information from various other organizations.

4. When was the site crea ted? Not Stated

When was the site last u pdated? Today

On what date did you visi t th is site? November 13

5. What is the pur pose of the site (infor m, explain , persuade , sell , etc ) Its purpose is to inform

people about fuel cells and explain what the downsides and upsides to using them are.

6. What is the top ic th is site addresses ? This website talks about fuel cells and gives examples of

how they work. It also talks about the kinds of fuel cells.

7. Given the above infor mation, evalua te this web site.

Is it autho ritative? Yes

Is it o b ject ive? Yes, generally

Is it curren t? Yes

Is it a ppr opriate for you needs ? Yes

Will you use this sour ce? YesWhy or why not? Because it gives additional information

about fuel cells, and gives examples of how they are used in the real world.

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