Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

" That's all very fine, Mr. Ballard, but where do we get the hydrogen?"
-J.P. Morgan

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

The Cost of Hydrogen, $4.00 / gasoline gallon equivalent?

For those excited about the new "Hydrogen Economy", here is a reality check.

It's been proposed that hydrogen will be electrolyzed with electricity produced by sun or wind. Here is the real scoop on what it will cost you to drive if this happens.

Let's assume for the moment that wind generated electricity will cost .075 / kWh. This is a reasonable number that has been born out in existing installations. Here is the list of assumptions:

10kW system Costs $33,000.00
Wind available at full power 25% of the day, produces 60kWh's per day.
20 year life span, produces 438,000 kWh's over lifetime of system

60 kWh per day * 365 days per year = 21900 kWh per year

21900 kWh per year * 20 years = 438,000 kWh Lifetime

438,000 kWh * .075 per kWh = $32,850

"The smallest amount of electricity necessary to electrolyze one mole of
water is 65.3 Watt-hours (at 77° F; 25 degrees C). Producing one cubit [sic]
foot of hydrogen requires 0.14 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity (or 4.8
kWh per cubic meter)." http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/a109.html

The density of hydrogen is 0.0899 kg per cubic meter, so it requires 4.8 kWh
to produce 0.0899 kg of hydrogen or 53.4 kWh per gasoline gallon equivalent.
At .075¢ per kWh that's equivalent to $4.00/gallon gasoline. This does not
account for the cost of the electrolyzer, compressor, storage tanks,
handling equipment (sensors, valves, detachable fittings, etc.) or the cost
of the hydrogen auto. (Thank you, Don Widders)

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
Hydrogen Technical Papers

http://www.science.edu/tech/techpap.htm

Fuel cells sound like a science-fiction fantasy: an efficient, nonpolluting power source that produces no noise and has no moving parts. But such cells not only exist, they have been providing electricity on spacecraft since the 1960s. In more down-to-earth applications, they could be used as electricity-generating plants or as a power source for nearly exhaust-free automobiles. The main sticking point is the high cost of manufacturing the devices, which has largely limited them to a handful of exotic applications. Now falling prices and new technologies suggest that the fuel cell's day may finally have arrived.
In fuel cells, as in batteries, silent reactions produce an electric current. Unlike batteries, however, fuel cells are almost endlessly rechargeable. The cells run on hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen from the air in such a way that a voltage is generated between two electrodes; the reactions occur in a chemical mediator known as an electrolyte. (Some designs consume hydrogen directly; others start with natural gas that is converted to hydrogen before entering the cell.) Compared with conventional fossil-fuel power sources, fuel cells are exceptionally clean and efficient. Practically their only waste product is water; natural gas-fueled cells do produce some carbon dioxide as well, though less than would be created if the fuel were burned.

Right now, ONSI Corporation in Windsor, Conn., a subsidiary of International Fuel Cells, is the only commercial manufacturer of fuel cells. Seventy-four of its units, each the size of a minivan, are now in operation, often in locations such as hospitals and remote hotels where grid power is expensive and reliability is worth a premium. (An ONSI installation in Groton, Conn., is consuming methane from a landfill, thereby both generating power and siphoning off an explosive waste gas; the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting a similar project.) Each cell provides 200 kilowatts of power; the heat each produces can also be used to warm buildings, an approach known as cogeneration. ONSI's marketing manager, Gregory J. Sandelli, states that in 1.25 million hours of total use, his company's cells have remained in operation 95 percent of the time--a figure that bests on-site, diesel-powered generators. The units, which use phosphoric acid as an electrolyte, are designed to last 20 years. http://www.sciam.com/explorations/122396explorations.html

Fuel cells are simply devices that convert fuel (such as hydrogen, methane, propane, etc.) directly into D.C. electricity. The process is an electro-chemical reaction that is similar to a battery. Unlike the battery though, fuel cells do not store the energy with chemicals internally. Instead, they use a continuous supply of fuel (chemical) from an external storage tank.

Fuel cell development continues and now the technology does in fact seem close to greater use. This document provides a short outline of fuel cell principles and applications. http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/6000/ttfuelc.html

Hydrogen: Technology and Policy - Production, Distribution & Storage - http://www.cnie.org/nle/eng-4.html

HYDROGEN POWER - SCIENCE FACT OR SCIENCE FICTION - http://www.borderlands.com/journal/h2.htm

First (getting beyond the sizzle and into the steak), hydrogen is not a fuel source. While it can be manufactured, it is not naturally occurring
in any significant quantity on Earth, hence you must exploit a naturally occurring fuel source to produced it.

In its favor, it is wonderfully non-polluting at its point of use, but this advantage is obscured by the pollution produced at its point of
manufacture. Hydrogen, as an energy transport mechanism, is at best competitive with a fully charged storage battery (+/-).

Also, since hydrogen cannot be produced without the input of sufficient energy derived from a conventional source to produce it, it cannot be
viewed as a sustainable, renewable energy source. In fact, it is not an energy source at all, since more energy needs to be expended in its
production than can be provided by its use. It's at best an energy transport mechanism, and not the best one available at that.

At best, hydrogen is marginally competitive with current storage battery technology, but while storage battery technology is likely to increase in
capabilities, hydrogen technology is pretty much fixed by science at its current limitations.

What else it there to be said? (Hydrogen does not naturally occur; It has an extremely low energy content per cubic foot of gas; It requires the use of conventional energy sources to produce; And it is dangerous and consequently expensive to store in all but minute quantities.)

Hope this viewpoint from a physicist helps.

Harry H Conover <conover@tiac.net>

BERKELEY-- A metabolic switch that triggers algae to turn sunlight into large quantities of hydrogen gas, a valuable fuel, is the subject of a new discovery reported for the first time by University of California, Berkeley, scientists and their Colorado colleagues. The news appears in this month's issue of the journal "Plant Physiology."
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/urel_1/CampusNews/PressReleases/releases/01-27-2000b.html
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/berkeleyan/2000/0216/scum.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/02/000223071940.htm

The Fred McGalliard method of hydrogen production:
I like aluminum in sodium hydroxide solution. (That's a common form of drain cleaner.). This has the bad habit of getting very very hot and accelerating the production as it heats up. I think the vapor also tends to suck along some of the hydroxide, so you may want to clean and cool it before using it in a cell. This method uses the hydroxide to dissolve the aluminum hydroxide that is formed. The aluminum is actually burning the oxygen from the water in the cell. Hydrochloric acid (commonly sold as muratic acid at hardware stores) and zinc pellets is also a good chemical method, and I think it is not as hot as the hydroxide method. The hydrochloric acid method is amenable to adding acid from a funnel column to obtain a self regulating pressure source. Pressure drops, the weight of the column forces more acid in and increases the production rate.

The Schatz Fuel Cell Laboratory

The Schatz Energy Research Center on the HSU campus is one of the foremost fuel cell development laboratories. We design, fabricate, and test fuel cells, and integrate fuel cell stacks into power systems for a variety of uses: small, portable remote power systems for locations far from the electric grid, vehicle power systems, and demonstration/education packages. SERC's fuel cell systems have proven to be among the most reliable and efficient in the world.

At SERC's fuel cell facility creativity is our biggest asset. WE have developed and patented a low-pressure design that yields a high net system efficiency. Se are finding new ways to reduce the volume and weight of our systems and to simplify their design. Our fuel cell stack are engineered to withstand extreme environmental conditions. They have operated successfully in the heat of Palm Desert, California and in the cold of Alaska. http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~serc/facilities.html

Don Lancaster's
"It's a Gas" Hydrogen Library

http://www.tinaja.com/h2gas01.html

Harnessing the Power of Hydrogen For the Future of Mankind - California Hydrogen Business Council
This web site summarizes the activities of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Fuel Cell Demonstration Program. Fuel cells are becoming a viable electric generation source that is energy efficient and environmentally benign. Using fuel and air, fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical process rather than typical combustion technology (Description of Fuel Cell Technologies). The purposes of this demonstration program are to stimulate growth and economies of scale in the fuel cell industry and to determine the role of fuel cells in the DoD's long term energy strategy. In this demonstration program, a total of 30 phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) units were installed at DoD sites across the United States. http://www.dodfuelcell.com/
Hydrogen has often been called the perfect fuel. Its major reserve on earth (water) is inexhaustible. The use of hydrogen is compatible with nature, rather than intrusive.
We will never run out of hydrogen. http://www.ttcorp.com/nha/
United States Hydrogen & American Hydrogen Association - Midwest Division
Promoting energy development of all types because energy directly affects the quality and quantity of human life.
www.USH 2 .com
Gearing Up for Hydrogen - America's Road to Sustainable Transportation - fuelcell.pdf
Cell Generates Electricity From Ordinary Fuels
UOP and Avista Labs Agree on Technology Partnership for Joint Fuel Cell Development
Joint development agreement clears pathway into residential fuel cell market - http://www.uop.com/home/about_uop/press_releases/121599_fuelcell.html
We think that the only way to solve environmental pollution problems is by producing commercial, zero-emission power products which benefit mankind. ZeTek Power is the sole European fuel-cell manufacturing company and the only company capable of mass-producing fuel cells.

What is a fuel cell? It's a clever but relatively simple device which takes oxygen from the air and supplied hydrogen to produce electricity - the only by-product is pure water. If you want the nuts and bolts of the process then check out our technical page.

It is estimated that the world consumes 80 million, million kW/hrs of energy per year, 80 per cent of which causes pollution. About half of the remaining 20 per cent is generated by nuclear power.

Unlike other companies, we at ZeTek Power believe that there is no universal technical panacea for the elimination of pollution. We believe passionately that all fuel-cell power, if adopted on a large scale, can go a long way toward solving the planet's ills. The company was created in 1994 to redress the toxic emissions problem caused by the burning of fossil fuels in all forms of power generation. http://www.zetekpower.com/

The fuel cell will change our lives as much as the computer it powers and internal combustion engine it replaces.
The future of power and transportation will change dramatically when fuel cells become the main producers of energy. The car will no longer be an environmental burden, and the electrical grid will be subdivided to the neighborhood and building level. Fuel cells will make all of this possible, and with little or no pollution. http://e1ps.tripod.com/E1PSwebsite/index.html

Small fuel cells, aluminium/air cells and electrode materials

Motorola Fuel Cell - Researchers Report Significant Progress in Developing Miniature Power Source for Consumer Electronic Devices

H-Ion Solar Inc. - Specializing In Hydrogen and Oxygen Technology For Sustainable Energy Systems

Cutting Vehicle Pollution Today and Tomorrow - Introduction - Johnson Matthey Systems

W. L. Gore & Associates and GORE-TEX® Products Home Page - Search for "PRIMEA"

DCH Technology, Inc.

ElectroChem, Inc. Fuel Cells. Energy for a Clean Planet

http://www.powerball.net/inside/index.shtml

http://www.warsitz.com/index.htm

Avista Labs Fuel Cell Science Kit

http://www.hpower.com/index.html

Ballard Power Systems Inc.

Energy Department Joins New York Power Authority, Police Department in Dedicating Environmentally Clean Fuel Cell to Generate Energy for Central Park Police Station

GE HomeGen 7000

Plug Power Fuel Cell Systems

EV World - The World of Advanced Electric Cars, Hybrid-electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles.

American Hydrogen Association (AHA)

Welcome to the California Hydrogen Business Council

California Fuel Cell Partnership

E-TEK, Inc. : Advanced Electrodes & Specialty Catalysts

Making Your Own Fuel

Materials Network for Processing Fuel Cells

International Fuel Cells

Analytic Power, a privately held Massachusetts Corporation since 1984, has expertise in mechanical, chemical and electrochemical engineering. We have won 12 Phase I and 6 Phase II Small Business Innovative Research awards, Army Small Business Innovative Research Phase II Quality Awards in 1994 and 1998., and U.S. Patents for Unitized Fuel Cells and Electrochemical Refrigeration.

United States Hydrogen & American Hydrogen Association - Midwest Division

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Debuts at EVS 14

methanol-based Micro Fuel Cell

Breakthrough for cell phones, laptops Micro fuel cell runs 50 times longer than standard batteries

Shell And Siemens Westinghouse Sign Fuel Cell Cooperative Development Agreement

New Technology Turns Water Into Hydrogen
Using Sunlight - http://www.deregulationinc.com/GreenPower/newsolar.html

The H-catalyst project - Welcome to the New Power-Hydrogen Project.

Anuvu Incorporated - http://www.anuvu.com/fuel.htm

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