Fuel of the future -fuel cell
Fuel
of the future -fuel cell
There is an energy crisis going on all over the world today. And the eyes of science and technologists engaged in overcoming this energy crisis are now on the fuel cell. Although fuel cells were invented about 160 years ago, the technology was not as popular just a few years ago. But the way research is being done on fuel cells in different countries of the world nowadays, there is no doubt that fuel cells will be the future technology of energy. And the day is not far away when the fuel cell powered mobile will run on the streets of Bangladesh, the eyes will be on the monitor of the fuel cell powered laptop. Today's cover essay seeks to present to readers various aspects of the discovery, research and possibilities of this fuel cell technology.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell where DC current is generated directly through the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen and water and heat are produced as by-products.
The underlying technology Fuel cells, like other common electrochemical cells, contain electrolytes between the anode and the cathode. Its structure can be compared to a lot of bandwidth. Hydrogen is broken down at the anode to form protons (H +) and electrons (e-). And electricity is created in this movement of electrons.
Anode: 2H2 = 4Hˉ + 4eˉ
Cathode: O_2 + 4Hˉ + 4eˉ = 2H_2 O
Net reaction: 2H_2 + O_2 = 2H_2 O.
The voltage generated by the reaction of a normal fuel cell is 0.6 volts. To get more voltage, many fuel cells are used together which is known as fuel cell stack. However, the main problem with fuel cell use is that fuel cell fuel hydrogen storage and supply is not an easy task. However, Reformer can be used to solve this problem. Reformers can be used to convert hydrogen (such as natural gas, propane, methanol, etc.) into hydrogen gas. There is a little problem in this case too. The reformer produces hydrogen gas as well as other gases. Therefore, pure hydrogen gas cannot be supplied. As a result, the efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced. To solve this problem, however, a company called Johnson Matthey recently developed a device called catalytic fuel processor that can convert natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas into hydrogen and the hydrogen produced will not contain other gases.
Discovery and evolution
In 1839, the Swiss scientist Christian Friedrich Schonbein first came up with the idea of a fuel cell in a journal called Philosophical Magazine. In the same year, Fuel Cell was first created by British lawyer and amateur physicist William Grove. In the fuel cell he created, he used four large cells, each containing hydrogen and oxygen. The electricity generated from this cell he uses to separate hydrogen and oxygen from the water kept in another cell. Then, almost 120 years after the invention of the fuel cell, in 1970, NASA began using fuel cells as a source of electricity and water in their spacecraft. However, due to the limitations of technology and being very expensive, fuel cell technology has not gained much popularity. However, due to the growing energy problems in the world, the focus of scientists and researchers has been on fuel cells since the early 1990s.
Different types of fuel cells
So far different types of fuel cells have been discovered. Here are some brief facts about them:
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)
Scientists Willard Thomas Grubb and Leonard Niedrach discovered the proton exchange membrane fuel cell while working at General Electronics. Special types of polymer electrolyte membranes have been used in such fuel cells along with anode, cathode, catalyst (influencer). At present PEMFC is being formed by big companies like Dupund, 3S, Plug Power, Hydrogenics. PEMFC is commonly used as a source of portable energy.
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)
Direct methanol fuel cell was discovered in the early 1990's. Methanol has been used as fuel in these fuel cells. However, the main problem of this fuel cell is that its efficiency is a bit low. So research is still going on to increase its efficiency. Direct methanol will be used in fuel cell laptops.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)
Research into solid oxide fuel cells began in the late 1930s. Hardened ceramics are used in the Schockham Solid Oxide Fuel Cell to work at high temperatures. This type of fuel cell is large in size so it also has a relatively high amount of electricity and heat generation. The maximum output of a solid oxide fuel cell is 100 MW.
Alkaline fuel cells were first used in Nair spacecraft. Interestingly, in addition to meeting the electricity demand, the water produced as a by-product in this fuel cell is also able to quench the thirst of astronauts. Alkaline fuel cells can operate at a temperature of 150-200 degrees Celsius and its output is about 100 kilowatts. Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC) This type of fuel cell uses liquid phosphoric acid as the electrolyte. Phosphoric acid fuel cell efficiency is about 70%. It is capable of operating at about 150-200 degrees Celsius and can generate up to 10 MW of electricity.
Fuel cell benefits
The main advantages of using fuel cell are-
>> Fuel cell weight is low
>> Fuel cell size is relatively small
>> Fuel cell efficiency is high
>> Safe to use fuel cell
>> Environmental pollution using fuel cells is low
>> The vitality or stability of the fuel cell is much higher
>> It is possible to get uninterrupted power supply from fuel cell
Although fuel cells were invented about 50 years ago, the use of fuel cells in the automobile industry was much like science fiction. But technologists believe that in the next few years, vehicles will be using fuel cells instead of internal combustion engines. And the fuel for this fuel cell powered car will be hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel stations have already been set up in different countries. And using this fuel cell will reduce environmental pollution a lot. But the problem is the same. That is the production cost of fuel cell is very high. The cost per kilowatt of an internal combustion engine is সে 30-35 and in the case of fuel cell the cost goes up to ০০ 4000-5000. Even then, competition has started among automobile companies to make fuel-powered cars. Well-known automobile companies like Volvo, Honda, Fordo, Mazda, General Motors, Toyota have already developed prototypes of fuel-powered vehicles. And General Motors Vice Chairman Harry J Pearee announced eight years ago today - The mission of our global fuel cell project center is nothing less than to make us the leader in commercially viable fuel cell powered vehicles.
Portable energy source
Fuel cells have gained widespread popularity as a source of portable energy. Fuel cells are being used in portable devices like laptops, digital cameras, mobile phones. Well known mobile companies like Motorola and Siemens have already started research on this. Due to the increase in the speed of the laptop's processor, the need for power is increasing. So laptop users are not able to use laptops for a long time with conventional batteries. The good news for them is that soon the fuel cell will be used instead of the battery in this laptop and it will be possible to run the laptop for 20 hours continuously. Meanwhile, Professor Robert Syinell of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Case Western Reserre Universit and his colleagues have created a microfuel cell. And these micro fuel cells will be used in portable sensors for members of the military.
No matter how expensive fuel cell technology is, environmentalists must choose fuel cell technology. This is because the use of fuel cells will reduce environmental pollution. The amount of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone) in the atmosphere is also increasing due to the combustion of fuel in the engines of vehicles. As a result, our environment is facing a serious threat. Using fuel cells instead of internal combustion engines in vehicles will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by about 50 percent. This will reduce the amount of environmental pollution. So scientists hope that fuel cells will be the source of green power for future generations.
The future technology of energy
I have no hesitation in saying that our future generation will be fuel cells. And this fuel cell will be more efficient than the power plants of the present era. A company called General Electric has already developed a fuel cell generator for home use. It uses reformers that will produce hydrogen from natural gas or propane. And the amount of electricity generated in this fuel cell generator will be 8 kilowatts which is able to meet the electricity demand of a house in most cases. This fuel cell generator can be used as a backup of electricity in hospitals or industrial plants. Besides, the heat energy and water generated from it can be used for other purposes as well. Researchers speculate that in the next few years, fuel-fired power plants will be used instead of conventional power plants to generate electricity. Our country will also start using fuel cell technology in the next few decades. Moreover, this technology is expected to play a major role in solving the power problems of our country. We need to get acquainted with this future technology of energy. So we need to think about including fuel cell in the engineering education of our country.
>> Cathode- Negative electric gate
>> Anode- positive electric gate
>> Electrolyte- The substances through which electricity is conducted in a state of dissolution or moltenness, the molecules of the substance break down and a chemical reaction takes place and new substances are formed and new substances are formed and electricity flows through them.
>> Hydrocarbons- Compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon. Such as methane, propane, ethylene, benzene etc. >> Reformer - A device used to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbons.
