Are Fuel Cells a Good Substitute to Gasoline and Are They the Best One - Research Paper Example

ARE FUEL CELLS A GOOD SUBSTITUTE TO GASOLINE AND ARE THEY THE BEST ONE Introduction Automakers anticipate more government regulations designed to reduce air pollution emission and fuel consumption. Consequently, they are developing a wide range of new technologies. Some fuel providers experiencing from fuel shortages. Now, the price of gasoline and heating oil doubled during the year, and the price of petroleum-related commodities (electricity and natural gas) skyrocketed. "Hydrogen fuel cells offer a solution to the impending world energy crisis which is arising as a result of diminishing fossil fuel reserves and increasing prices. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and can be produced locally through renewable means, thus helping to provide energy security in most regions of the world." Garrity, 2000 implied. The end of inexpensive sources of energy, brought about largely by the Arab oil boycott, made the search for energy alternatives imperative. Several companies are developing fuel cells that they hope will replace conventional internal-combustion engines in automobiles over the next few decades. According to a report fuel cell developers nowadays, even government agencies, and automakers are working hard to accelerate the introduction of fuel cell toward commercialization. What is fuel cell all about How effective it is According to a website "A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with heat and water as its by-product. As long as fuel is supplied, the fuel cell will continue to generate power. It produce electricity through electrochemical reactions. No other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that fuels cells do. In addition to low or zero emissions, benefits include high efficiency and reliability, multi-fuel capability, durability and ease of maintenance." It aims to have a clean transport for the future. Fuel-cell technology that promises to revolutionize the global car business is now coming to market" according to a newspaper article. Fuel-cell technology is particularly suitable for city buses because it offers much lower noise levels and has no polluting emissions. Efficiency of Fuel Cells Many large automakers are now adapting fuel cell technology for automobiles. It is proved as a good substitute to gasoline. It is found cleaner, because of hydrogen. Fuel cells produce only pure water as exhaust. It only produce far less pollution than conventional technologies. Quieter, vibration free and more energy efficient than internal-combustion engines. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen electrochemically without combustion to supply electricity. Fuel cell engines will likely run on conventional gasoline, but with a fraction of the emissions of a normal engine. The fuel cell is also being explored as a way to generate electricity. In a fuel cell, hydrocarbons are combined with oxygen to produce electricity directly, much the same way lead is consumed to make electricity in a storage battery. Fuel cells are more efficient than conventional power plants because there are no turbines or other mechanical devices to waste energy through friction or heat. The website added (www.fuelcelltoday.com) "Operating times are much longer than with batteries, since doubling the operating time needs only doubling the amount of fuel and not the doubling of the capacity of the unit itself." Until now, fuel cells have been small devices. However, the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation is planning a 26 megawatt portable fuel cell generator that will produce enough electrical power for 20,000 people. This plant is designed to use natural or synthetic gas and to provide an economical and pollution-free means for power companies to meet peak load demands. According to Fuel Cell Market, fuel cells are found "Reliable. Because the absence of combustion and moving parts means that fuel cell technologies are expected to provide much improved reliability over traditional combustion engines. Research has demonstrated this potential, and in certain applications, fuel cell technologies have demonstrated reliabilities of 99.999999% - more than for any alternative technology. " Today's electric cars powered by fuel cell are more efficient than gasoline-powered cars. They are considered an easy and effective way to harness existing energy sources because any energy source can be converted into electricity. Pure hydrogen cars do not require new ways of delivering fuel because electricity is already distributed to virtually every home and business. Uses of Fuel cells Fuel cells may soon become a widely used source of power of transport, industry and in the home. The high initial cost of practical fuel cells has limited their use to military and space applications where their inherent advantages high efficiency, absence of moving parts, absence of noise and exhaust. Wide application of fuel cells depends on significant technological advances, reducing their basic cost, and permitting efficient use of low-cost fuels. People may someday use hydrogen as fuel for automobiles, refrigerators, and airplanes, if it becomes easier to distribute, store, and use. Automobile manufacturers are developing vehicles that are powered by hydrogen fuel cells, devices that use hydrogen to produce electricity. The aerospace industry, the industry that designs and builds airplanes and spacecraft, already uses liquid hydrogen as a fuel for rockets. Aerospace engineers are interested in using hydrogen fuel for airplanes because of its low density. Conventional hydrocarbon fuels add much weight to an aircraft. Low-weight, high-energy hydrogen would decrease the amount of fuel needed to lift the airplane at takeoff and increase the distance the airplane could fly without stopping. Hydrogen fuel could also cut pollution, since it mostly produces water when it burns. Spacecraft use hydrogen as a primary rocket fuel that reacts with fluorine or oxygen to produce energy. Fuel Cells can also be use at home. The demand for electricity is constantly growing, and power companies are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the demand. Recently the Brooklyn Union Gas Company experimented with the supplying of electricity for three houses by means of fuel cells on the roof of one of them. Inverters in the basement changed the direct current of the fuel cells to usable alternating current. By an electrochemical process the cells turn natural gas into electricity, with water vapor and carbon dioxide as by-products. Much the same way lead is consumed to make electricity in a storage battery. This plant is designed to use natural or synthetic gas and to provide an economical and pollution-free means for power companies to meet peak load demands. Disadvantages Despite the advantages of more efficient energy use, pure hydrogen-oxygen cars have not been widely adopted. It is find to be in high cost, weight, hydrogen supply. FEV are not yet able to accelerate, cruise, and climb fast enough to compete with gasoline-powered cars. And accessories, such as air conditioning or radios. "We have to reduce the cost, volume and weight of the fuel-cell systems in order to become competitive with internal combustion engines," says Professor Ferdinand Panik. Because fuel cells use expensive materials. Some optimists assert that innovative, high technology solutions will soon emerge that is much cheaper to implement than today's technologies. They point to recent advances in fuel-cell technology for operating electric-powered automobiles as one example of this trend. But other analysts are convinced it will cost national economies at least 1 or 2 percent of their gross national product (GNP)-the total value of all goods and services produced annually-to implement effective programs. According to (Heinrich, 2000), "In addition to uncertainty over cost, delaying the participation of developing countries in Kyoto's emission reduction protocols could lock in inefficient fossil-fuel technology throughout the developing world." For example, many dozens of polluting, coal-burning power plants in India, China, and Indonesia, each with decades of economic life, would likely continue to operate. This would not allow global warming solutions to be very cost effective. Hydrogen fuel cells also emit no greenhouse gases. Someday these alternative energy sources may prove to be practical, low-pollution energy sources, although progress today is slow. It is sill a major problem when it comes to its production distribution and storage of hydrogen. Generally bigger than any comparable batteries or engine. Conclusion The hydrogen fuel cell gives the advantages and disadvantages of our technology today which investigate the costs of constructing new fuel infrastructure. It is proved that FEV advantages such as promising to have zero-emission , no smog. Internationally, many governments are very supportive of fuel cell technology, which is also finding great favor with public opinion. The energy efficiency, the clean and silent operation as well as the diversity of fuel pathways provide potential solutions to the varied policy requirements And could bring ideal partnership between the government, industries, and other industrial organizations. "Fuel cells systems are becoming more compact, it still may be some time before we use them like we use the common battery today". The fuel cell research is growing in capability daily, and in the near future automakers may announced the development of fuel cell devices which will be available in the market and soon will give its great advantages to users and to our economy. References: http://www.sustainability.dpc.wa.gov.au http://www.fuelcells.org/ http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fuelcell.shtml www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/.../0,1784,History,00.html www.fuelcellmarkets.com http://www.kettering.edu Heinrich, R. "Fuel Cells Today". Daily Inquirer. Dec. 2000. 12 Connel, W.C. "Fuel Cells ". P.F. Collier L.P. 1994. Read More