9.6 What are "fuel cells" ?
Description
This article is from the Gasoline FAQ, by Bruce Hamilton with numerous contributions by others.
9.6 What are "fuel cells" ?
Fuel cells are electrochemical cells that directly oxidise the fuel at
electrodes producing electrical and thermal energy. The oxidant is usually
oxygen from the air and the fuel is usually gaseous, with hydrogen
preferred. There has, so far, been little success using low temperature fuel
cells ( < 200C ) to perform the direct oxidation of hydrocarbon-based liquids
or gases. Methanol can be used as a source for the hydrogen by adding an
on-board reformer. The main advantage of fuel cells is their high fuel-to-
electricity efficiency of about 40-60% of the nett calorific value of the
fuel. As fuel cells also produce heat that can be used for vehicle climate
control, fuel cells are the most likely candidate to replace the IC engine
as a primary energy source. Fuel cells are quiet and produce virtually no
toxic emissions, but they do require a clean fuel ( no halogens, CO, S, or
ammonia ) to avoid poisoning. They currently are expensive to produce, and
have a short operational lifetime, when compared to an IC engine [125-127].
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