Future Alternative Energies:Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Bradley Hallier 5/28/2010

Research Question

• Can I build an effective, cost efficient Hydrogen (PEM) Fuel Cell that can practically replace “non-green” energy sources?

Why Fuel Cells?

• Learn about new technologies• Improve current systems• They’re interesting

What is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell?

• Similar to a battery• HENERGYH+H+OH20 (Nice and

Strickland)

• Does not store energy

http://estarfuturecorp.com/fcworks/FCStack.png

What is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell? (Cont)

http://www.chem.umass.edu/masscrest/fuelingthefuture/images/fuelcell.jpg

Advancement of Research

• Moved from how they work to how to build one

• Initiated contact with researchers• Initiated contact with fuel cell vendors• Searched for Hydrogen Vendors• Began plans for a Hydrogen Production System

Contacting Researchers

• Sent emails asking for help• Mr. Kevin Davies at Georgia Institute of

Technology• Mr. John Turner at Valeswood Fuel Cells• Numerous other individuals willing to

help

Contacting Vendors

• Sent 13 emails to Fuel Cell Distributors • Google searches• Past experience

Vendor Email Structure

• Explained who I am and what I am doing• Used semi-jargon vocabulary and specifics• Asked for anything that could be contributed• Thanked reader for time• Overall short length

Vendor Contact Results

• Surprised at helpfulness• Acquired 1 PEM cell• Received a 5-cell stack• Received lots of help and

recommendations

Obtaining Hydrogen

• Required >99.9% pure• Local distributors carried it

in large tanks at high pressure• Was not cost effective

Isolating Hydrogen Myself

• Forced to obtain it manually• Chose electrolysis over chemical

means• Went through many revisions of an

electrolyzer

Electrolyzer Design 1

Electrolyzer Design 2

Electrolyzer Design 3

Electrolyzer Design 3 (cont)

Future Plans

• Use the system to test Fuel Cell designs• Determine what makes different

designs superior to others• Use data to create a functional cell

Works Cited• Nice, Karim, and Jonathan Strickland. “How Fuel Cells Work.” HowStuffWorks. How Stuff

Works Inc, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. <http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ fuel-efficiency/ alternative-fuels/ fuel-cell.htm>.

• University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Individual Fuel Cell" Illustration. Fueling the Future: Center for Chemical Innovation. 2009

<http://www.chem.umass.edu/masscrest/fuelingthefuture/images/fuelcell.jpg>.• Microsec R&D Inc. “1000W Stack" Illustration. Microsec R&D Inc. Electronic Product

Design. 2009 <http://www.microsec.net/1000w.jpg>.