HYDROGEN

FUEL CELLS

presentation by

Noah Donnenberg and Sean Bailey

HISTORY

1800s 1900s 2000s

HISTORY

1800s

1806: de Rivaz engine - first internal

combustion engine powered by a

mixture of hydrogen and oxygen

HISTORY

1800s

1820: Cecil engine - engine

powered purely by the

ignition of hydrogen and the

vacuum it produces

HISTORY

1800s

1839: first crude fuel cell -

William Grove and Christian

Friedrich Schönbein both

independently developed

HISTORY

1800s

1889: the word “fuel cell” -

Ludwig Mond and Carl

Langer coined the phrase

and attempted to build

HISTORY

1900s

1903: The Exploration of Cosmic Space by

Means of Reaction Devices - Konstantin

Tsiolkovsky posited that a spacecraft powered

by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen could

achieve earth orbit

HISTORY

1900s

1923: in the future, “great power stations where

during windy weather the surplus power will be

used for the electrolytic decomposition of water

into hydrogen and oxygen - J. B. S. Haldane,

Daedalus

HISTORY

1900s

1939: 5 kW stationary fuel

cell - developed by Francis

Thomas Bacon

HISTORY

1900s

1955: polystyrene ion-

exchange membrane used as

electrolyte - developed by W.

Thomas Grubb at GE

HISTORY

1900s

1959: 15 kW fuel cell tractor -

developed by harry Ihrig for Allis-

Chalmers, used potassium hydroxide

as electrolyte

HISTORY

1900s

1991: hydrogen fuel cell

automobile - developed by

Roger Billings

HISTORY

2000s

2010: compact hydrogen fuel cells used in

commercial applications - Doosan’s PureCell

System is a 400 kW cell used for over 20,000

hours in supermarkets, hospitals, data

centers, and other commercial applications

MECHANISM

• fuel cells use an input

- a hydrogen source -

to conduct electrons

across an electrolyte

MECHANISM

• electron sources include

• methane

• natural gas

• alcohols

MECHANISM

• comprised of a cathode and

anode on opposite sides

• the electrolyte lies in between

• electrolyte differentiates classes

of cell

EFFICIENCY

• fuel cells generate

• electrical current

• water

• heat

• nitrogen dioxide

EFFICIENCY

• in general, fuel cells are 40-60% efficient

• this can rise to up to 85% with heat reclamation

• to contrast, internal combustion engines operate

with 25-30% efficiency

CONTINUING USE

• forklifts

• transit buses

• metros

• limited automotive use

• spacecraft

• proton fuel cells

ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPLICATIONS

• provide greater efficiency than competing fossil fuel

technologies

• still produce emissions, although less harmful

• a future in cleaner fuel cells