|
Wonder Technology: Fuel Cells |
|
|
|
Energy -
homepage
|
|
Saturday, 22 September 2007 11:17 |
|
Fuel cells are one of the cleanest and most efficient technologies for generating electricity. Since there is no combustion, there are none of the pollutants commonly produced by boilers and furnaces. For systems designed to consume hydrogen directly, the only products are electricity,water and heat. Fuel cells are an important technology for a potentially wide variety of applications including on-site electric power for households and commercial buildings; supplemental or auxiliary power to support car, truck and aircraft systems; power for personal,mass and commercial transportation; and the modular addition by utilities of new power generation closely tailored to meet growth in power consumption. These applications will be in a large number of industries worldwide1. What is Fuel Cell? Around 170 years ago, British scientist William Grove discovered the basic principles of fuel cells by reversing water electrolysis to generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. This process still works today. One definition for fuel cell is that "A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that continuously converts chemical energy into electrical energy (and some heat) for as long as fuel and oxidant (air or oxygen) are supplied"2. Fuel cells therefore exhibit similarities both to batteries and to engines. Fuel cells, like batteries, are using electrochemical processes to produce electricity. However, unlike batteries, fuel cells can work continuously consuming a suitable fuel. Unlike batteries or engines, fuel cells operate quitely and efficiently and when hydrogen is used as fuel the only byproduct is drinking water while you produce your power. These devices are so called zero emission engine due to this marvellous feature of the fuel cells. |
|
Read more...
|