Innovation In Sustainable Engineering Design: Hydrogen Fuel Cells - Essay Example

Innovation in Sustainable Engineering Design: HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS Innovation in Sustainable Engineering Design:HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS As world is growing, the innovation and technology produced products that made life easier and more advanced. However, we have to pay prise for the ease and luxury we attain. The price is more than the money that we spent to enjoy the technology. The real price is the environmental degradation cost. That cost is not only influencing us, but also our future generation. The technologies that are making our lives easier are hungry for energy and the major source of that energy is attained from burning fossil fuel resources. Coal is a very basic source of energy and the dirtiest of all other fossil fuel resources. Coal is not only rich in energy content but also rich in hazardous materials that are harmful for the environment. On the other hand, cleaner fossil fuels including natural gas do produce hazardous fumes that emit into the environment when these are burnt to access their energy content. Most thermal power generation plants use coal as it is the cheapest fuels in most of the regions among all other fossil fuel resources. Under developed countries are also contributing mush in emitting harmful wastes into the environment. There is a need to go for the renewable and sustainable energy resources. Hydrogen fuel cell is also a renewable energy resources and it can help under developed countries to cope with the energy demands yet remain in a healthy environment. Hydrogen fuel cell is a power generation system that utilizes hydrogen and oxygen at electrodes to produce power. The power generated by the hydrogen fuel cell is converted by gathering the free electrons during the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the hydrogen fuel cell. A fuel cell has an anode and a cathode. It is obvious that anode has a positive charge and cathode has a negative charge. A single pair of electrodes only generates 0.6 to 0.7 DC volts. In order to achieve a consistent DC current that can be fed to a system, cells are stacked in series and parallel combination. On the other hand, the current produces by the cells depend on various factors. These factors include side of the electrodes, distance between the electrodes, material of the electrodes and amount of air and hydrogen fed into the system (Nice and Strickland, 2015). Operation Hydrogen is introduced at anode; while oxygen or air introduced at cathode terminal of the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen reacts with the anode and gives an electron at the positive terminal. While ionic hydrogen remains in the electrolytic solution. On the other hand, oxygen or air is introduced at cathode of the cell. Oxygen reacts with the cathode and takes the hydrogen ion from the ionic electrolytic solution and produce steam that is released from the exhaust of the fuel cells. Heat is also released, as the reaction is exothermic. In vehicles, this heat is radiated by circulation water through the walls of fuel cells or through heat sinks attached to the walls of the fuel cells. In general, hydrogen fuel cells ate 40-60% efficient depending on the type of fuel cell technologies. However, the efficient can be further enhanced if the waster heat is further utilized to extract the energy from it. This type of co-generation mechanism can enhance the energy output of the hydrogen fuel cell up to 85% that is more than an enhanced efficiency thermal co-generation unit (Nice and Strickland, 2015). Hydrogen as a sustainable fuel resource Hydrogen is a sustainable fuel resource, as we have plenty of hydrogen. It burns efficiently in the presence of air and produce water vapours as the result of burning. Water vapours are not bad for the environment. No other emissions are being associated with the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. It is a clean fuel that produces no other emissions. Fossil fuel resources are depleting day by day. However, hydrogen is not going to end until the end of the earth. Oceans seas and all other water resources are the resources of hydrogen as hydrogen is the basic component of water. Water molecule is made up of one atom of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen. It is pity easy break the bond between the hydrogen and oxygen. Modern technology enhanced the safety precautions regarding hydrogen. Due to its highly reactive nature it is highly recommended to use special safety precautions while using hydrogen as the fuel and transporting it. Hydrogen can easily replace the fossil fuel resources for power generation and vehicular power requirements. It is much better as compared to that of the fossil fuel resources as it is environment friendly and does not harm environment in any manner. Coal not only produces gaseous waste but also solid wastes that can be disposed off into the environment due to their hazardous nature (Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle development, 2002). Sources of hydrogen Hydrogen can be generated through variety of resources. The most widely used purely hydrogen generation process is the “Steam Reforming”. In this process, hydrogen is generated mostly using natural gas. This process is highly efficient with over 80% efficiency. At first steam is generated and its temperature is maintained between 700 to 1100oC. Steam reacts with the methane in the natural gas and yields syngas. Syngas is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. CH4 + H2O → CO + 3 H2 In the next phase, carbon monoxide again reacts with the steam to yield more hydrogen and carbon dioxide. CO + H2O → CO2 + H2 Similar process is done with coal that also yields hydrogen gas. At first high temperature, steam is passed through coal that yields carbon monoxide and hydrogen. C + H2O → CO + H2, Electrolysis of water Another method to produce hydrogen is the electrolysis of water. In this process, DC electricity is passed through the water with the help of electrodes that breaks the bond between hydrogen and oxygen. Both the gasses can be collected over water at different electrodes. This process is highly energy consuming and thus a renewable source of energy like solar or wind to generate the required electrical power is required to make the process more sustainable. Thermolysis of water In this process, steam is heated up to 2500oC. At this temperature, the bond between the hydrogen and oxygen breaks and both the gases can be collected. Catalyst is added to speed up the process and reduce the temperature required for the reaction. Research has been diverted towards biological methods for producing hydrogen. Microbiological organisms like micro algae are researched to produce hydrogen through enzymatic process. In this manner, the burdens over the fossil fuel resources are minimized and productivity can be enhanced in an environment friendly manner. Hydrogen Fuel Cell in under developed Countries While discussing the feasibility of fuel cell technologies, under developed countries should be given priority for renewable technologies. Most of the under developed countries lack the fossil fuel resources and thus these countries spent million to transport the fossil fuel resources to their country and then generate energy out of the imported fossil fuel resources. On the other hand, fewer laws are followed regarding environment in most of the under developed countries. Fuel cell is renewable technology that has the potential to overcome the energy needs. It is a highly efficient method to generate energy (Prabhu, 2013). Hydrogen can be generated onsite to generate electrical energy with the help of fuel cell technology. A basic power generation unit requires important fuel that requires heavy transportation cost. Having an onsite hydrogen production saves much on fuel transportation costs. On the other hand, several small hydrogen fuel cell based cogeneration power plants can be made operation with little effort but high efficiency (Prabhu, 2013). Hydrogen can be manufactures with a series of different methods, underdeveloped countries can process it according to the sources they have. Water is the most basic source of hydrogen and every country in the world has plenty of water resources. Water is the basic sources that hydrogen can be resourced from. Electrolysis of water is an efficient process but takes mush energy to break the bond between hydrogen and oxygen. In order to work for the under developed technology of hydrogen fuel cell, the field of engineering requires much effort to be diverted to achieve an environment friendly source of power. A skilled individual would have the knowledge to evaluate the requirement of the technology and has in-depth knowledge of pros and cons of the technology. On the other hand, all the renewable technologies are much better as compared to the non-renewable energy resources. However, it only depends on a type of renewable technology to fit in a system where applicable. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is the technology for the future generations. It has the capability no only to protect the current generation but also the future of the world. As, earth’s atmosphere is constantly degrading due to the harsh affects of using fossil fuel resources. The degradation is not only influencing the biodiversity but also the natural balance between various natural processes. Bibliography Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle development. (2002). Fuel and Energy Abstracts, 43(1), p.47. Nice, K. and Strickland, J. (2015). Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells - How Fuel Cells Work. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cell2.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 2015]. Prabhu, R. (2013). Stationary Fuel Cells Market size to reach 350,000 Shipments by 2022 - Renew India Campaign - solar photovoltaic, Indian Solar News, Indian Wind News, Indian Wind Market. [online] Renewindians.com. Available at: http://www.renewindians.com/2013/01/stationary-fuel-cells-market-size-to-reach-350000-shipments-by-2022.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2015]. Read More