ADVANCEMENT IN FUEL CELLS

TECHNOLOGY

BY:-
Pranav Nagrale (G029)
Gaurav Toraskar(G047)
Ojas Nisalkar(G065)
 What are fuel cells?
 Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that produce electricity and heat from a
fuel using hydrogen and oxygen.
 Unlike conventional engines, they do this without burning the fuel and thus is
more cleaner and efficient.
 Fuel cells generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction in which oxygen
and hydrogen rich fuels combined together to form water.

Fig.1 Fuel Cell

Fuel Cell Technologies

 Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell(PEMFC).

 Direct Methanol Fuel Cell(DMFC).
 Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell(PAFC).
 Alkaline Fuel Cell(AFC).
 Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell(MCFC).
 Solid Oxide Fuel Cell(SOFC).
 PEMFC
 Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) is the leading cell type for passenger car applications.
 It uses a water based acidic polymer membrane as its electrolyte with platinum based electrodes and they
operate at temperatures lower than 100 degrees Celsius and can tailor electrical output to meet dynamic
power requirement.
 Due to relatively low temperatures and the use of precious metal based electrodes, these cells must operate
on pure hydrogen.
 A variant of the PEMFC which operates at elevated temperatures is known as High Temperature PEMFC
 High temperature PEMFC uses mineral acid based electrolyte.
 DMFC
 The direct methanol fuel cell is a recent addition to fuel cell technologies.
 It is similar to an PEM cell for using a polymer membrane as a electrode. However, its platinum-ruthenium
catalyst on the DMFC anode is able to draw hydrogen from liquid methanol, eliminating the need for fuel
reformer.
 Methanol offers several advantages as a fuel. It is inexpensive but has relative high energy density and can
be easily transported and stored.
 DMFC operate in the range of .

Fig.2 Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

 PAFC
 Phosphoric Acid fuel cells (PAFC’s) consist of an anode and a cathode made of a finely dispersed platinum
catalyst on carbon and silicon carbide structure which holds the phosphoric acid electrolyte.
 These cells operate at high temperatures around
 Their overall efficiency can be over 80% if the processed heat is harnessed for cogeneration
 This type of fuel cell is used in stationary power generators with output in the 100 KW to 400 KW range to
power many commercial premises around the world.

Fig.3 Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell

 SOFC
 Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) work at very high temperatures, around to .
 SOFC can have efficiencies of over 60% when converting fuel to electricity.
 It uses a solid ceramic electrolyte such as Zirconium oxide stabilized with yttrium oxide
 There are 3 different SOFC geometries : planar, coplanar and microtubular.
 SOFC’s are used extensively in large and small stationary power generation plants.

Fig.4 Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

 MCFC
 Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC’s) use a molten carbonate salt suspended in a porous ceramic matrix as
electrolyte.
 Salts commonly used are Lithium carbonate, Potassium carbonate and Sodium carbonate.
 They operate at high temperature around
 The high Temperature makes the cell less prone to carbon monoxide poisoning than lower temperature
systems.
 MCFC are used in large stationary power generation

Fig.5 Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

Advancements in Fuel Cells technologies

 The advancements in the fuel cell technology is that fuel cells could power our cars, with
hydrogen replacing the petroleum fuel that is used in most vehicles today.
 Advancements in Fuel Cells technologies
 A new program has been installed at the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain
Valley, California known as Combined Heat, Hydrogen, and Power system (CHHP).
 The fuel cell system operates on hydrogen from anaerobic digestion of municipal
wastewater
 The unit generates heat, electricity, and hydrogen
with 54% efficiency (hydrogen plus power)
when operating in hydrogen co-production mode.
 With a compressor located onsite, the unit
can provide 100 kg/day to refuel fuel cell vehicles

Fig.6 Combined heat, hydrogen, and power system (CHHP)

 Advancements in Fuel Cells technologies
 Ballard power systems are working on improving key elements of our fuel cell stack technology. It will focus
on advancements in our catalyst technology.
 Hydrogen fuel cell design employs catalyst layers coated on either side of a proton-exchange membrane
(PEM), to catalyze the desired oxygen reduction and hydrogen oxidation reactions at the cathode and anode
 The catalyst coated membrane is further sandwiched between two carbon paper based gas diffusion layers
(GDLs) to create the membrane electrode assembly (MEA).
 Recent catalysts developments are key to the future of fuel cell technology, and the large-scale
commercialization of clean electric power for transportation and industry.

Fig.7 Membrane Electrode Assembly

 Advancements in Fuel Cells technologies
 Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are electrochemical devices that
directly convert the chemical energy stored in fuel into electrical energy with a practical
conversion efficiency as high as 65%.
 In 2019, Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai accounted for approximately 63% and 32% of
the total sales, with a driving range of 380 and 312 miles and a mile per gallon (MPGe)
of 65 and 67, respectively.
 Machine learning, physics-informed deep learning, AI methods and describe their
significant potentials in PEM fuel cell research and development present the most
recent status of PEM fuel cell applications in the portable, stationary, and
transportation sectors.
 Conclusion
 Hydrogen fuel cells are an essential part of the future considering the pollution and carbon
emissions caused due to an IC engine which is making them obsolete.
 Many kinds of fuel cells like PEMFC,DMFC,PAFC,AFC,MCFC,SOFC. Now depending
upon the characteristics these fuel cells are capable of making hydrogen a sustainable fuel
source.
 Amongst the others PEMFC(PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUELCELL) has the
highest efficiency and workability and shows promising results when put under the
working stresses.
 Advancements in hydrogen fuel cells like introduction of machine learning and artificial
intelligence