Design of Fuel Cells and Reactors, Estimation of Process Parameters, Their Modelling and Optimization
Fuel cell systems are a promising alternative power source based technologies that are vastly used in today’s industrial applications. Fuel cells are clean, quiet, and feasible devices that transformed chemical changes into electricity to be utilized. The
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Design of Fuel Cells and Reactors, Estimation of Process Parameters, Their Modelling and Optimization
2.1
Introduction
Fuel cell systems are a promising alternative power source based technologies that are vastly used in today’s industrial applications. Fuel cells are clean, quiet, and feasible devices that transformed chemical changes into electricity to be utilized. They are operational and can generate fuel as long as it is supplied with oxygen and hydrocarbons. Evidently, emission such as carbon dioxide are greatly reduced mainly by fuel cell technologies compared to conventional technologies (Höök and Aleklett 2010). Besides, fuel cells are ideal for power generation to provide supplemental power and backup assurance for critical areas, or for on-site service in areas that are inaccessible by power lines. Since fuel cells operate silently, they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and the waste heat from a fuel cell can be used to provide hot water or space heating. Fuel cells are the best alternative because they combine higher fuel efficiency with low or no pollution, greater flexibility in installation and operation, quiet operation, low vibration, and potentially lower maintenance and capital costs (Stambouli and Traversa 2002). The wide range of applications includes unmanned under water vehicle, automotive, locomotives, surface ships, electronic component and automobiles (Woodland 2001). Fuel cells are a propitious alternative energy conversion technology. Typical fuel cell utilizes hydrogen as a fuel and reacting it with oxygen to produce electricity. The fundamental fabrication of these fuel cells is its ability to employ the equations of standard reactor design to the reaction kinetics of a fuel cell as shown below (Figs. 2.1 and 2.2). Anode: H2 þ O2 ! H2 O þ 2e 1 Cathode: O2 þ 2e ! O2 2 1 Overall : H2 þ O2 ! H2 O 2 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 S. Bagheri, Catalysis for Green Energy and Technology, Green Energy and Technology, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43104-8_2
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2 Design of Fuel Cells and Reactors, Estimation …
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e
-
e
H2 O
H2O
-
H2O H2
O
H2O H2
Anode
O2
2-
O
H2O
O
O2
N2
H2 H2
N2
O2
2-
2-
O2
N2 O2
2-
Cathode
Electrolyte
Fig. 2.1 Reactions of a typical fuel cell
Electron Flow (Current)
Electric Load Cell Voltage
H2 In
H2& H 2O Out
Air In Anode Gas Chamber
Cathode Gas Chamber
Air Out
Fig. 2.2 Flow diagram for a fuel cell system
In this reaction, when each mole of hydrogen used up, two moles of electrons moved through the electric load. Conversion of electron flow can be done by applying Faraday’s constant (F ¼ 96,485 coulombs/mole of electrons) and mathematical calculation of energy utilizes. The potential of a fuel cell usually relates in terms of efficiency, of the energy available from the reaction in the fuel cell system. A recent study in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and catalyst technology have increased the fuel cell power density and made them available for automobiles and portable power applications, as well in power
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