What is fuel cell in chemistry?
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as fuel and oxygen are supplied.
What is a fuel cell made of?
A fuel cell is composed of an anode, cathode, and an electrolyte membrane. A typical fuel cell works by passing hydrogen through the anode of a fuel cell and oxygen through the cathode. At the anode site, a catalyst splits the hydrogen molecules into electrons and protons.
What is the chemical reaction for a hydrogen fuel cell?
The fuel cell reaction of interest for most PFSA-based PEM systems is the hydrogen–oxygen reaction. On the anode side, hydrogen is oxidized to form two protons and two electrons. The protons conduct through the PFSA membrane, while the electrons travel outside the cell to drive a load.
Which chemical reaction takes place in fuel cells?
On paper, the workings of a hydrogen fuel cell sound straightforward enough: An electrochemical reaction occurs between hydrogen and oxygen that converts chemical energy into electrical energy.
Who invented the fuel cell?
William Robert Grove
What is the working of fuel cell?
Fuel cells work like batteries, but they do not run down or need recharging. They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes—a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode)—sandwiched around an electrolyte.
What is fuel cell with example?
A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity through a chemical reaction between a source fuel and an oxidant. The source fuel could be almost anything that can be oxidized, including hydrogen, methane, propane, methanol, diesel fuel or gasoline.
Are fuel cells renewable?
But in Connecticut, even fuel cells that run on natural gas are considered renewable power under the state’s renewable portfolio standard, he said. Fuel cells convert hydrogen from a variety of sources into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen, yielding only water as an end product.
What is fuel cell and its types?
Fuel cells are classified primarily by the kind of electrolyte they employ. This classification determines the kind of electro-chemical reactions that take place in the cell, the kind of catalysts required, the temperature range in which the cell operates, the fuel required, and other factors.
Where is fuel cell used?
Fuel cells are used for primary and backup power for commercial, industrial and residential buildings and in remote or inaccessible areas. They are also used to power fuel cell vehicles, including forklifts, automobiles, buses, boats, motorcycles and submarines.
Which is not a fuel cell?
Which of the following is not an example of a fuel cell? Explanation: Hydrogen-oxygen cell, methyl-oxygen-alcohol cell and propane-oxygen cell are some of the examples of fuel cells. Hexanone-oxygen cell is not an example of a fuel cell.
Which is the best fuel cell?
Alkaline Fuel Cells Operating at 60-70ºC (140-158ºF), AFCs are among the most efficient type of fuel cells, reaching up to 60% efficiency and up to 87% combined heat and power. Both the US and Russian/Soviet spaceships used alkaline fuel cells to produce electricity and drinking water for astronauts.
Is fuel cell the future?
In the future, fuel cells could power our cars, with hydrogen replacing the petroleum fuel that is used in most vehicles today. Many vehicle manufacturers are actively researching and developing transportation fuel cell technologies. Fuel cells can power almost any portable device or machine that uses batteries.