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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Operated Remote Control Car

San Francisco State University
11/1/2007
by
Mathew Jaeger (Team leader)
Thu Ya Maw
Tatiana Cantu
Project Advisors
Dr. Nilgun Ozer & Dr. Dipendra Sinha

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Abstract:
This project uses a hydrogen fuel cell as a form of alternative energy to power a simple remote controlled car and presents some research on how hydrogen is made, how a hydrogen fuel cell works. We showed that a hydrogen fuel cell can be used for operating the remote control car. We used two different setups for the hydrogen fuel cell remote controlled car.

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FUEL CELL TURBOCOMPRESSOR

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
FUEL CELL SYSTEMS AND
AIR MANAGEMENT RELATIONSHIPS
FUEL CELL SYSTEM AIR MANAGEMENT PROVIDES:
• AIR AT THE APPROPRIATE PRESSURE AND FLOW FOR THE FUEL CELL
STACK AND IF PRESENT THE FUEL PROCESSOR
• ENERGY RECOVERY FROM FUEL CELL EXHAUST TO REDUCE
PARASITIC POWER REQUIRED FOR THE AIR MANAGEMENT
• FUEL CELL SYSTEM AIR MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
• FLOW RATE: AFFECTS THE FUEL CELL STACK EFFICIENCY AND THE
PARASITIC POWER REQUIRED FOR THE AIR MANAGEMENT
• PRESSURE: AFFECTS THE FUEL CELL STACK EFFICIENCY AND THE
PARASITIC POWER REQUIRED FOR THE AIR MANAGEMENT
• TEMPERATURE: THE AIR SUPPLY TEMPERATURE USUALLY TO BE
WITHIN A SPECIFIC RANGE OF THE FUEL CELL STACK TEMPERATURE
• HUMIDIFICATION: SOME FUEL CELL STACKS (E.G. PEM) REQUIRE
HUMIDIFICATION TO MAINTAIN THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTION
• WEIGHT AND VOLUME: DEPENDENT ON PRESSURE AS WELL AS
COMPRESSOR TECHNOLOGY

FUEL CELL TURBOCOMPRESSOR OBJECTIVES
DOE/FreedomCAR/Hydrogen technical barriers
4.4.4.2 Technical Barriers
• Although many issues are discussed below, it should be noted that
cost and efficiency present two of the more significant technical
barriers to the achievement of clean, reliable, cost-effective systems.
Transportation Systems Technical Barriers
• A. Compressors/Expanders. Automotive-type
compressors/expanders that minimize parasitic power consumption
and meet packaging and cost requirements are not available. To
validate functionality in laboratory testing, current systems often use
off-the-shelf compressors that are not specifically designed for fuel
cell applications resulting in systems that are heavy, costly, and
inefficient. Automotive-type compressors/expanders that meet the
FreedomCAR program technical guidelines need to be engineered
and integrated with the fuel cell and fuel processor so that the overall
system meets packaging, cost, and performance requirements.
FUEL CELL TURBOCOMPRESSOR OBJECTIVES
DEVELOP AN OPTIMUM (I.E. LOW COST, EFFICIENT, COMPACT
AND LOW WEIGHT) TURBOCOMPRESSOR CONFIGURATION BY
WORKING WITH FUEL CELL SYSTEM MANUFACTURERS AND
CONTINUING THE WORK CURRENTLY BEING PERFORMED.
• REDUCE TURBOCOMPRESSOR/MOTOR CONTROLLER COSTS
WHILE INCREASING DESIGN FLEXIBILITY.
• DEVELOP AND INTEGRATE THE TURBOCOMPRESSOR/MOTOR
CONTROLLER INTO A FUEL CELL SYSTEM


For more information about this article,please follow the link
http://googleurl?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ve...rk_gee.pdf&ei=l4C1TOrWCIGclge4tNXtBQ&usg=AFQjCNGNLhu1A2tqpkoEW555Xyo7KXhhJw

Presented by
A.Rahul
B.Bhavana

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Abstract:
This project uses a hydrogen fuel cell as a form of alternative energy to power a simple remote controlled car.In this we are going to see how a hydrogen is produced by the simplest ways and how fuel cell works. This paper describes how hydrogen fuel cell can be used in operating a remote controlled car. We used two different setups for the hydrogen fuel cell remote controlled cars.
Introduction:
The purpose of this project is to use an alternative energy source other than a conventional battery, gas power or other source of energy to power a simple remote control cars . In this work, we used a hydrogen fuel cell which uses hydrogen and air and produces electrical power. A hydrogen fuel cell is used to power a simple remote controlled car rather than a battery or a gas powered engine. The byproducts of a hydrogen fuel cell are water and heat and the fuel sources are hydrogen and air which are easier to handle then battery acid and gasoline. The fuel cell is applicable to today’s consumer needs because a hydrogen fuel cell is much quieter, is lighter (mass power ratio) and is more environmental friendly. The efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells is higher than gas powered engines. In this a remote control cars battery will be replaced with a hydrogen fuel cell that is able to generate twelve watts of power.
History:
In 2007 Horizon introduced a first prototype fuel cell system which was using basic hydrogen storage capability as well as a power system design that was limiting RC vehicle performance.
In 2009, work began on a dramatically improved system with much higher capability, as well as a first home hydrogen refueling station which would be able to refill the car's solid hydrogen tanks. The model-scale refueling station creates the possibility to draw hydrogen from water and electricity using a device called HYDROFILL, which sends it for storage into small cartridge devices called HYDROSTIK .The HYDROFILL can connect to optional solar panels or wind-turbines to produce 100% renewable fuel Hydro fill connected to solar panels:
Working:
The new H-CELL 2.0 is a step-change in Hobby RC design. Two HYDROSTIK each carrying about 12Wh of energy or 10L of hydrogen are integrated to the fuel cell electric power-train on either side of the chassis, enhancing weight distribution on board the car. , the H-cell can run the car at 35 km/h for over 1 hour, as opposed to just 15 minutes with the conventional Nimh battery
The result a fast hobby-grade RC vehicle with 3 to 4 times the endurance of its conventional battery-based vehicles.
As in real-scale hybrid hydrogen-electric cars being engineered today, a smaller-size lithium battery provides peak power for accelerations and fast speed requests from the brushless motor, while the fuel cell provides cruise power and recharges the battery for extended runtimesThe fuel cartridge used in the MiniPak called HydroSTIK has a battery-like form factor and contains a special metal alloy that allows hydrogen to be stored in a solid-state, as part of the metal alloy matrix inside the cartridge. In contrast with ordinary compressed hydrogen tanks, the pressure inside the canister is very low, making this device the safest and most practical means of storing hydrogen. The HydroSTIK has the additional advantages of being refillable (from pressurized gas bottles, or from water-electrolysis based devices), non-toxic, eco-friendly, and competitive on cost/performance with existing battery devices. Each HydroSTIK can store 11Wh of energy, enough for 1-2 charges of a 3G smart phone, or 2-3 charges for average cell phones, which is more than what present primary and rechargeable batteries are able to offer at equivalent cost. HYDROSTIK can be made available in bulk for refill using industrial gas, providing a low-cost portable energy option for users. When using industrial hydrogen gas, the overall energy efficiency of the Minipak is higher than batteries being recharged from the power grid
The Hydro fill is a "world-first" small-scale home hydrogen station that allows consumers or retailers/distributors to refill solid state canisters in a simple way, using water and electricity as only input. By adding water, and plugging the Hydro fill into a electrical wall-socket (or a solar panel), consumers can generate hydrogen and store it in a solid form automatically in HydroSTIK cartridges. Once full, the battery-like "solid-state" HydroSTIK can be unplugged from the Hydro FILL and placed into the MiniPak (or other fuel cell devices) to deliver power via a USB port.
Experimental procedure:
2.1 Activating and Refueling
The first step was to measure the voltage and current needed by the remote control car. We found that the initial power needed to start the electric motor within the remote controlled car was six volts of potential and two amps of current. For this we needed a fuel cell that was able to generate at least twelve watts of power. And the dimensions of this fuel cell did not conflict with the space within the remote control car. The manufacturer (Horizon Fuel Cell, Germany) shipped our hydrogen fuel cell with all of the specifications on refueling as well as the power and voltage graphs of the fuel cell(2).
The second step was to design the fluid system that could transfer hydrogen from a high pressure tank to our low pressure tanks. We used several Swagelok (1) devices made of stainless steel that could withstand high pressure over 5000 psig with a high factor of safety .These devices also were made to transport flammable gas such as hydrogen.
The third step was to activate the hydrogen tanks (20 standard L). Each tank contains a metal hydride within it that acts as a sponge for hydrogen after it has been activated (3-4). To activate this metal hydride we needed to go through a four step process where we first connected our tanks to the fluid system that we designed and set the low pressure gage reading on our pressure regulator to thirty bar (435 psig) and waited eighty minuets. We then released the pressure to about ten bars and increased the pressure back to thirty bar. We repeated this process four times. After activation was complete we refueled the tanks by connected them to our fluid system and set the low pressure reading to thirty bar. After thirty minutes we disconnected the tank.
Connecting and Testing the Fuel Cell and Remote Control Cars:
We connected the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell and reproduced graphs one and two that are shown which illustrate the relationship between the voltage, current and power of the fuel cell
The Second step was to connect the hydrogen fuel cell to our remote control car and test the car. It was found that the system worked just as well as with the original battery but one advantage was that the system was able to last for about two hours while the battery was only able to power the car for about thirty minutes . The third step was to connect a wireless camera with a range of approximately three hundred feet to our remote control car and tested it. The camera sent a signal to a router which was connected to a television or any recording device. The purpose of this is to be able to have a system that you can control from a remote location
Power consumption:
• Charging time for a battery is about one hour.
• Charging time for a hydrogen tank is about thirty minutes.
• The battery will last for a little more than thirty minutes.
• The hydrogen tank will power a hydrogen fuel cell for about two hours.
• The fuel cell lasts longer and required less time to recharge between uses
Advantages:
• Lower cost
• High efficiency
• Lighter weight
• Smaller size
• Simple to use
• Easy to integrate
• Reduced peripherals
• Increased relia
The only disadvantage of the proposed design was the cost. The hydrogen fuel cell and accessories for this system cost us about $1550 which was expensive compare to battery operated system. However, when we consider the fact that a hydrogen fuel cell has no green hour gas emissions and hydrogen fuel cell technology is still in the experimental stages, one can see that this technology has greater promise in the near future. When fuel cell production becomes commercialized the cost of the fuel cell will go down
3. Conclusion:
Hydrogen fuel cell operated remote control cars varies from the ordinary cars because of its hydrogen engine which works on hydrogen fuel and its efficiency is more comparatively and causes no green house effect.