[attachment=11246]
How will hydrogen fuel cells change the world?
Why Do We Need a New Fuel Source?
• Currently our machinery runs on oil
• Oil pollutes and there are limited supplies
• Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the known universe
• Hydrogen fuel cells do not pollute
How A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Works
• The fuel cell is composed of an anode, an electrolyte membrane in the center, and a cathode.
• Hydrogen flows into the fuel cell anode. Platinum coating on the anode helps to separate the gas into hydrogen ions and electrons. The electrolyte membrane allows only the protons to pass through the membrane to the cathode side of the fuel cell. The electrons cannot pass through this membrane and flow through an external circuit in the form of electric current.
How a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Works
• Hydrogen fuel cells are very efficient compared to what we have now.
Where Will Hydrogen Come From?
• Hydrogen is not readily available for consumer use yet.
• To get around this problem, hydrogen will be extracted from other, more conventional types of fuels by a device called a reformer.
• A fuel like natural gas is reformed into hydrogen which will then go on to power a fuel cell.
Where Will Hydrogen Come From?
• Natural gas comes from mostly the US, so even before the switch to pure hydrogen is made, we will get our fuel domestically.
• Natural gas production could peak by 2025
• Bush Administration’s Hydrogen Commitment
• 500 metric tons of carbon saved each year by 2040
• Reduce demand for
oil by 11 million
barrels per day by
2040
• Child born in 2003 to
drive a hydrogen car at age 16
Hydrogen Powered Cars
Hydrogen cars run clean.
• 500 cubic tons of carbon removed from atmosphere by 2040
• New design possibilities
because of compact
hydrogen fuel cell
stack.
• Stack of 200 cells
is the size of a
home PC.
Hydrogen Powered Cars
• Quieter operation than normal cars because of no moving parts in the fuel cell stack and electric motors at the wheels.
• Possibility of interchangeable bodies.
• GM Hy-Wire Concept Car
• Skateboard-like chassis with snap-on body.
• No engine compartment, larger cabin.
• 82hp engine
• 0-62 mph. in 16 seconds
• Honda FCX Concept Car
• Max speed 93 Mph
• 80hp produced
• 201 lb-ft torque
• No snap-on body
• More realistic
• 5th generation
Hydrogen in the Home and Office
• Hydrogen fuel cells will power and heat homes and offices.
• Hopefully this will start in about 10 years.
• The hydrogen will come from natural gas that has gone through a reformer.
• Hydrogen cars can be refueled in the garage by a hydrogen powered house.
Hydrogen in Politics
• Much of the world’s and America’s oil comes from the Middle East.
• This is an incredibly volatile region.
• Oil runs the economy in these countries
• Hydrogen fuel cells mean a decreased need for Middle Eastern oil.
• Decreased imports by the US means a decreased military presence in the Middle East.
• Possible economic collapse in main oil exporting nations and in places like Saudi Arabia, this could lead to revolution.
• Possible no-win situation for the US.
• Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power third world.
• In underdeveloped countries, the governments would not have to go broke importing oil.
• Solar or wind power collectors could produce energy which would make hydrogen.
Conclusion
• Hydrogen fuel cells will dramatically change our cars, how are homes and businesses are powered and heated, and it both positively and negatively change places like the Middle East and third world countries. They will also clean up the world’s air.

[attachment=11471]
We look at
Energy Resources & Hydrogen today
Hydrogen Energy – energy for future
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
How they developed
Basics and working principle
Types
Areas of Application
Benefits and prospects
Hydrogen - The Energy for tomorrow
Hydrogen – The Energy solution for future
Energy Resources
Hydrogen - Today
Hydrogen Energy
What is a Fuel Cell ?
In principle, Fuel cells are electrochemical devices like batteries that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly and very efficiently into electricity (DC) and heat, thus doing away with combustion. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.
How Fuel Cells developed ?
Today’s Fuel Cell
A fuel cell system which includes a "fuel reformer" can utilize the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol, and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much smaller than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes.
What is the Principle ?
A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat.
How it Works ?
Layers of materials with distinct electrochemical properties are sandwiched together to form a single galvanic cell.At the heart lies a membrane that can only be crossed by charged molecules. Gas-permeable electrodes coated with a catalyst adhere to this membrane, adding a layer on either side.These electrodes are in turn connected to a device that can utilize electricity— a load— which creates a complete electrical circuit.
Working Principle
Hydrogen gas(H2)flows into channels on one face of the cell and migrates through that electrode, while the same occurs with oxygen gas (O2, typically from the ambient air) along the opposite electrode.
Working Principle- Contd…
Fuel Cell Types
Potential Applications
Stationary power generation
Residential power
Transportation – No pollution
Portable power – Miniature Fuel Cells
Land fill Waste treatment – Power from Methane in-situ .
Stationary Power
More than 2500 fuel cell systems have been installed all over the world in hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, office buildings, schools, utility power plants, and an airport terminal, providing primary power or backup.
In large-scale building systems, fuel cells can reduce facility energy service costs by 20% to 40% over conventional energy service.
Residential Power
Ideal for residential power generation, either to provide supplemental power and backup for critical areas, or installed as independent generator in areas that are inaccessible by power lines.
Operating silently, they reduce noise & air pollution and the waste heat can be used to provide hot water or room heating for a home.
Prototypes being tested & demonstrated for residential use extract hydrogen from propane or natural gas.
Powering Transportation
All the major automotive manufacturers have a fuel cell vehicle either in development or in testing right now
Honda and Toyota have already begun leasing vehicles in California and Japan.
Automakers and experts speculate that the fuel cell vehicle may be commercialized by at least 2010.
Fuel cells are also being incorporated into buses, locomotives, airplanes, scooters and golf carts.
Revolutionize Portable Power
Miniature fuel cells will help consumers talk for up to a month on a cellular phone without recharging.
Fuel cells will change the telecommunicating world, powering laptops and palm pilots hours longer than batteries.
Other applications for micro fuel cells include pagers, video recorders, portable power tools, and low power remote devices such as hearing aids, smoke detectors, burglar alarms, hotel locks and meter readers.
These miniature fuel cells generally run on methanol, an inexpensive wood alcohol also used in windshield wiper fluid.
Landfills and Waste Water Treatment
Fuel cells currently operate at landfills and wastewater treatment plants across USA.
Providing a valid technology for reducing emissions and generating power from the methane gas they produce.
Benefits
No other energy generating technology holds the combination of benefits that fuel cells offer
Energy Security
Being efficient, modular and fuel flexible, fuel cells can enable a transition to a secure, renewable energy future, based on the use of hydrogen.
A fuel cell system that includes a "fuel reformer" can utilize the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon or alcohol fuel - natural gas, ethanol, methanol, propane, and even gasoline or diesel.
Hydrogen can also be produced from electricity from conventional, nuclear or renewable sources.
Hydrogen can be extracted from novel feed stocks such as landfill gas or anaerobic digester gas from wastewater treatment plants, from biomass technologies, or from hydrogen compounds containing no carbon, such as ammonia or borohydride.
Fuel cells and Electrolysis, in combination with solar or wind power, or any renewable source of electricity offer the promise of a totally zero-emission energy system that requires no fossil fuel and is not limited by variations in sunlight or wind flow.
This hydrogen can supply energy for power needs and for transportation.
High Reliability
Fuel cells can be configured to provide backup power to a grid-connected customer, if the grid fail.
They can be configured to provide completely grid-independent power.
They can also use the grid as the backup system.
Modular installation (several identical units to provide a desired quantity of electricity) provides extremely high reliability .
In specialized applications, fuel cells can achieve up to 99.9999% reliability, less than one minute of down time in a six year period.
High Quality and Efficiency
Fuel cells offer high quality power, crucial to an economy that depends on increasingly sensitive computers, medical equipment and machines.
High Efficiency as they make energy electrochemically, and do not burn fuel.
Fuel cells are fundamentally more efficient than combustion systems.
Environmental Benefits
Air pollution continues to be a primary health concern industrialized world.
Exposure to ozone, particulate, or airborne toxic chemicals has substantial health consequences.
Scientists are now directly linking air pollution to heart disease, asthma and cancer.
Recent health studies suggest polluted urban air is a comparable health threat to passive smoking.
Hydrogen - Tomorrow
Hydrogen production for Future