Model Fuel Cell Car Race WorkshopJan 8th, 2009

Job Rijssenbeek, GE Research Center

Honda FCX BMW Hydrogen 7

Fuel cell Internal combustion engine

All images in this presentation belong to their respective owners, are not used by permission and are not affiliated with GE.

Welcome!Welcome!

Plan for today…

Background, rules & ideas– Race Day– Rules, Scoring– Quiz

Demonstration– Hydrogen & Fuel Cells– Building a car– Race demo

Why hydrogen energy & fuel cells

• Environment• Energy diversity• Energy security• Energy efficiency• Hydrogen production• Hydrogen storage• Infrastructure• Cost

This competition will giveyou a taste of the

challenges involved withhydrogen & fuel cells

Race day info

March 7th, 2008 – the morning of Science Bowl

Racing starts at 9am– Inspection– Round-robin– Quiz– Finals– Awards

Eight teams

les carafety firstimensions: 30 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm maximuml power from provided fuel cell and motorust have guiding “eyelet” or hookefuel between races

course0 m long, 60 cm wideuide wire 1.5 cm above the track

ilding your car

tting started - Provided items– FC & motor – use those in FC kit

tting running - Also need– Car chassis– Distilled water

e key to winning is YOU!– Ingenuity– “Trial and error”

ings to keep in mind…

MaterialsWeight vs. Strength

TransmissionPower vs. Speed

WheelsTraction & steering

Hydrogen storageFuel vs. Weight

Materials

• Weight vs. Strength• Ways to add strength

– Laminate– Strong shapes– Add stiffeners

• Minimize weight– Strength only where needed– Remove unnecessary material– Minimize fasteners

Transmission• Power vs. Speed

– Motor has good speed but low power

• Need power to start & speed to win• Don’t forget the weight impact• Minimize friction

race end0 sec

Spee

d

PotentialMax Speed

Not enough power

Not enough speed

Direct Drive

Motor Shaft attached directly

to drive wheel

Friction disc lies directly

on Drive wheel

Belt Drive

Gear Drive

Friction Drive

Pulley

Motor

Drive Wheel Drive Wheel

Pulley

Belt

Low weight, Low friction, Reliable

Wheels

TractionDirectionFriction & weightCommon oversights– Single wheel– Clearance for guide wire

Weight distribution

ydrogen Storage

Fuel vs. weightStorage methods– Tanks (heavy)– Balloons (must be clean)– Tubes– Syringes (easy to over-pressurize; heavy)

Eliminate leaksNeed enough fuel to finish raceWinner will get a new fuel cell for Nationals

eys to winning:

Speed

&

Consistency

Fuel cell care & last thoughts• Don’t let the fuel cell dry out during storage• Make sure the fuel cell is wetted before use

– Do not “flood” the fuel cell• Use the fuel cell & motor from the kit provided

– Others will be disqualified– EVERYTHING else is up to you

• Run tests with a guide wire• Last year’s winning time was ~6 sec• Come prepared to race

– Bring tools & parts to perform small fixes

HAVE FUN!

More information at

http://www.freewebs.com/capitalregionsciencebowl

Any Questions?Any Questions?

Thank you!Thank you!

Quiz

• Test concepts in hydrogen energy & fuel cells• Based on “Fuel Cells Green Power”• Each team member’s score

is averaged to give a teamscore

• Final score– 50% race– 50% quiz– Race result is tie breaker

reliminary schedule – March 1st, 2008

Lunch11:30 am

Awards11:15 am

Round Two10:40 am

Hydrogen knowledge quiz10:15 am

Round One9:30 am

Introduction & rules9:10 am

Teams arrive; Registration, inspection & refreshments9:00 am

eneral Rulesars must pass inspection before being allowed to race

team members will take the quiz individually– 10 multiple choice questions– Scores will be averaged– Answers will be given at the end of the quiz

ar race will have two rounds– Round 1: Round robin to determine match-ups in Round 2– Round 2: Head-to-head single elimination

nal score will be sum of quiz & race results

ace rulesAll race related activities must be performed by the students only. Teachers, coaches an/or parent should stay “hands-off”.At race time, the vehicle will be placed behind the starting line with all its wheels in contact with the ground. No more than two team members will be allowed in the start area.An early start or push start may result in disqualification or a re-run of the heat. The determination will be left to the race judges. All vehicles will be started when the official signal is given. The winner of the heat will be the first vehicle to cross the finish line or the car farthest down the track when the race is called.At least one team member must wait at the finish line to catch the vehicle.Team members may not touch the vehicle on the track. Vehicles stalled on the track may be retrieved after the end of the race has been declared by the Lead Judge.The vehicle and team member must remain at the finish line until the order of the race has been established.Lane changing or crossing will result in disqualification.Challenges must be made before the race judges begin the next heat. All challenges must come from the team members who are actively competing and directed to the lead judge. The decisions of the race judges are final.Judges will inspect cars prior to the racing and/or at anytime during/after heats.

coring

Quiz Score + Race Score = Final score

(race results are the tie breaker)

Award ceremony after academic competition

Points

Place

20 pts30 pts40 pts50 pts

4th3rd2nd1st

ace order• Round 1

– All teams face each other– Must race within 5 minutes of being announced– Win = 10 pts– Loss = 5 pts– No finish = 0 pts

• Round 2– Single elimination– Seeded by points in Round 1

(Total race time used for tie breaking)– If time allows, a race to determine 3rd/4th place will be held

before the 1st/2nd place race. Otherwise, semifinal time will be used to determine 3rd/4th place.

2007 2007 Quiz AnswersQuiz Answers

Quiz answers1) Who invented the concept of a fuel cell?

a) William Grove in 1839

b) Michael Faraday

c) NASA

d) Albert Einstein

e) Henry Ford

2) Which one of the following is NOT a product of a fuel cell?

a) Water

b) Hydrogen is a fuel

c) Electricity

d) Heat

Quiz answers3) Why is the purity of the feed hydrogen important to the performance of a PEM fuel cell?

a) Impurities can damage the sensitive PEM membrane

b) Impurities decrease the amount of hydrogen present and thus the amount of energy that a fuel cell can produce is less

c) Impurities can react with oxygen thereby preventing the hydrogen from forming water

d) Impurities can deactivate the platinum catalyst and thereby hinder the splitting of hydrogen molecules (H2) into ions (2 H+)

4) Finding alternatives to the platinum catalyst is desirable because?

a) The platinum particles are too small for effective catalysis

b) Platinum is too heavy

c) Platinum is toxic

d) Platinum is too expensive – costs as much as a whole engine today

Quiz answers5) The biggest reason that fuel cells are not 100% efficient is due to

a) Approximately a third (33%) of the chemical energy is lost as heat

b) Electrochemical reactions are inherently inefficient

c) The conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy is limited by the Carnot Cycle

d) Some of the hydrogen is unused and escapes the cell before it can be turned into energy.

6) Which of the following fuel cells operates at the highest temperature?

a) A hydrogen PEM fuel cell

b) A direct methanol fuel cell

c) A molten carbonate fuel cell

d) A solid oxide fuel cell – operates above 800 °C

Quiz answers7) When burned which fuel emits the least carbon dioxide?

a) Wood

b) Coal

c) Natural Gas – it contains the most hydrogen

d) Oil

8) The electrochemical reaction taking place in a fuel cell is:

a) H2 + O2 → 2 H2O

b) 2 H2+ 2 H2O → O2

c) 2 H2O+ 2 O2 → 2 H2

d) 2 H2+ O2 → 2 H2O

Quiz answers9) Which of the following likely does not impact global warming?

a) Cloud cover

b) Volcanic eruptions

c) Water vapor levels in the atmosphere

d) The thickness of the ozone layer

10) What fraction of the total CO2 emissions comes from transportation (cars, planes, trains, etc.)?

a) One tenth (10%)

b) One quarter (25%)

c) One third (33%)

d) One half (50%)