FUEL CELLS & TEM - Purdue University stude… · Catalysts and TEMs Catalysts • Speed up...
Transcript of FUEL CELLS & TEM - Purdue University stude… · Catalysts and TEMs Catalysts • Speed up...
FUEL CELLS & TEM
By: Blue Group
http://www.carscoops.com/2016/03/honda-clarity-fcv-goes-on-sale-in-japan.html
What is a Fuel Cell and how does it work?● Chemical energy of hydrogen or another
fuel → electricity
● Clean energy - only products are
electricity, heat, and water
● Anode and cathode around an electrolyte
● Catalyst facilitates oxidation of the fuel
Graphic by Marc Marshall, Schatz Energy Research Center
http://americanhistory.si.edu/fuelcells/basics.htm
Anode Reaction: 2H2 + 2O2− → 2H2O + 4e−
Cathode Reaction: O2 + 4e− → 2O2−
Overall Cell Reaction: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2Ohttp://www.sciencecontrol.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/09/Chemical-
Reactions.jpg
Catalysts and TEMsCatalysts
• Speed up reactions• High surface area to volume ratio• Platinum = surface catalyst
TEMs (Transmission Electron Microscopes)• Electron beam passes through object, making
resolution 1000x better than light microscopes• Can view objects a few nm across
Purdue University’s TEM
Problem Statement1) What happens to the power
output from the fuel cell when
different concentrations and
temperatures of ethanol
are used?
2) How does the power output from
using methanol in the fuel cell
differ from using ethanol?
Ethanol
Methanol
ExperimentFuel Cell
1) Connect fuel cell, tank, and drain tank2) Add fuel (ethanol)3) Voltage stops increasing - attach fan and record spin time4) Clean tanks - flush cell with deionized water5) Repeat process for other fuels
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)1) Insert gold sample on magnesium oxide base into microscope2) Observe and acquire image3) Heat up to 500 degrees Celsius4) Observe
Results
1 2 3 4
Data Analysis● Higher concentration = longer lasting output
● Lower temperature = shorter lasting output
● Ethanol’s higher energy density = longer lasting output than methanol
Conclusions and Recommendations● Highest concentration, highest energy density, and room
temperature optimize performance
● TEM provides insight to structure of catalyst as well as its
response to temperature
● Recommendation: measure both current and voltage
Business• Becoming more commercially available -
will soon become profitable
• Used in transportation, portable power
generation, stationary power generation,
fuel and infrastructure
• Much cheaper than other fuels - ~$1
hydrogen / gallon of gas
• Obstacles: platinum, infrastructure,
money
• Recommendation: Make fuel cells cheaper
by replacing platinum as catalyst
Policies and Outlook• Harms environment through Pt mining
• Less CO2, SOX, NOX, and particulate
matter; non-toxic; abundant
• Clean emissions (only H2O)● U.S. Department of Energy
funding● Emergency Economic Stabilization
Act of 2008● Fuel Cell costs decreasing;
increased use in motor vehicles● U.S. ranked high in overall
research for fuel cells
Sources● Archambault, Éric and Grégoire Côté. “Fuel Cells Research in Canada and in Other Leading Countries.” Science-Metrix, n.d.
mmm Web. 23 June 2016.
● “A Basic Overview of Fuel Cells.” Smithsonian Institution of American History, 2008. Web. 21 June 2016.
● Badwal, Sukhvinder, Sarb Giddey, Aniruddha Kulkarni, Jyoti Goel, and Suddhasatwa Basu. “Direct ethanol fuel cells for
transport mmm and stationary applications – A comprehensive review.” Science Direct, 1 May 2015. Web. 20 June 2016.
● Berger, Michael. “Improved nanotechnology catalysts bring clean energy applications closer.” Nanowerk, 4 Dec 2009. Web. 21
mmm June 2016.
● Cartlidge, Edwin. “Fuel Cells: Environmental Friend or Foe?” Physics World, 13 June 2003. Web. 21 June 2016.
● “Codes and Standards.” Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.
● Gallios, William. “Fuel Cells: Environmental Benefits.” Sierra Club Green Home, 2010. Web. 20 June 2016.
● “How Does the Fuel Cell Work?” Battery University, 3 May 2016. Web. 20 June 2016.
● “How Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Work?” Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.
● Klose, Rainer. “Are Fuel Cells Environmentally Friendly or Not? Not Always!” Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science
mmm and Technology, 15 July 2015. Web. 20 June 2016.
● Kukreja, Rinkesh. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydrogen Energy.” Conserve Energy Future,
mmm n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.
● Miller, Ben. “Four Ways Government Can Support the Transition to Alternative Fuel Vehicles.” Government Technology, 1
March mmm 2016. Web. 23 June 2016.
● Rao, P. Nagaraju. “Nanocatalysis: Applications in the Chemical Industry.” Nanowerk, 5 Nov 2010. Web. 20 June 2016.
● “The Transmission Electron Microscope.” Nobel Prize, 2016. Web. 20 June 2016.
● Woodford, Chris. “Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Cogeneration.” Explain That Stuff, 15 April 2016. Web. 21 June 2016.
Special Thanks to…
Tej Choksi
Ravi Joshi
Chang Wan Han
Dr. Raj Gounder