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Week 12 Lecture 4

Fuel cell, hydrogen energy, carbon capture and storage

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sanjivwagh1969
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5 views

Week 12 Lecture 4

Fuel cell, hydrogen energy, carbon capture and storage

Uploaded by

sanjivwagh1969
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Fuel Cell Types

• The main types of fuel cells include:-


i) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFC); ii) Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC) ; iii) Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC)
; iv) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) ; v) Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)
vi) Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)
• AFC:- Electrode materials can be non-precious material. Operating temperatures around 70 oC but can
operate between 23oC to 250oC. Efficiency has high as 60%. Easily poisoned by impurities in gas
streams. Require ultra-pure H2 and O2 streams which makes operation difficult. Primarily space
applications.
• PAFC:- Uses liquid phosphoric acid as electrolyte. Porous carbon electrodes and Platinum used as
catalyst, making operation expensive. Operation temperature is around 200 oC and efficiency is around
40%. Mature technology but expensive and high specific weight.
• MCFC:- Use molten carbonate salt (NaCO3, Li2CO3 etc.) mixtures as electrolytes. Can operate with
multiple fuel types. Can attain 50 – 60% efficiency. High operating temperatures of 650 oC required.
Precious metal catalysts are not needed. Used for large stationary power storage and generation
systems.
• SOFC:- Solid Oxide material (Yttria stabilized Zirconia) used as electrolyte. Operates at 800 – 1000oC.
Does not require precious metals and can operate with multiple fuel types. Stable and reliable
operation. Tolerant to sulphur and CO and hence suited for fuels from coal gasification (syn-gas and
producer gas). Upto 60% efficiency is obtainable. Precious metal catalysts not needed. High
temperatures can lead to slow startup and material durability problems. Is used for large to small
stationary power generation as well as some types of portable power systems.
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Fuel Cell Types
• The main types of fuel cells include:-
i) Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFC); ii) Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC) ; iii) Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
(MCFC) ; iv) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) ; v) Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)
vi) Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)
• PEMFC:- Contain a thin plastic polymer through which ions can pass. The membrane is coated on
both sides with noble metal (Pt) catalyst particles. The membrane is typically a moist 0.1 mm
thick Nafion (sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene) membrane that can transport H+ ions. The
electrodes are typically made of porous carbon. PEMFCs operate at temperatures below 100 oC
and have high power densities and low specific weights and volumes. They also have fast start
and stop capability, easier thermal management and are more durable. The usage of solid
electrolyte also eliminates safety and corrosiveness concerns associated with liquid electrolytes.
Hence PEMFCs are suitable for light duty operations, portable power systems and vehicle engine
technologies. However the usage of noble catalysts increases the cost and pure H2 stream is
needed.
• HT PEMFC:- High temperature PEMFCs operate at 200 oC and uses a mineral acid instead of water
to moisten the polymer membrane electrolyte. These systems are more tolerant to CO impurities
in the H2 stream.
• DMFC:- This is a variant of PEMFC where platinum-ruthenium catalyst is used on the anode side
which can extract H+ ions directly from methanol (CH3OH) so that an upstream Hydrogen
generation system (a reformer) is not needed. Operates between 60oC – 130oC in light duty and
portable applications
280
Fuel Cell Types

SOFC Fuel Cell


MCFC Fuel Cell
PAFC and PEMFC Fuel Cell

CO2 produced at the anode has to be + Electrode: Strontium doped


separated and directed back towards porous LaMnO3
the cathode to prevent electrolyte - Electrode: Porous ceramic and
loss. metallic material (cermets) 281
Comparison of Various Fuel Cell Types

282
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Technologies

283
Introduction: Excerpts from IPCC 6th Assessment
Report
• Net-zero CO2 energy systems entail: a substantial reduction in overall fossil fuel use, minimal use
of unabated fossil fuels, and use of CCS in the remaining fossil fuel system.
• Limiting global warming to 2°C or below will leave a substantial amount of fossil fuels unburned
and could strand considerable fossil fuel infrastructure. The combined global discounted value of
the unburned fossil fuels and stranded fossil fuel infrastructure has been projected to be around
USD 1–4 trillion from 2015 to 2050 to limit global warming to approximately 2°C Depending on its
availability, CCS could allow fossil fuels to be used longer, reducing stranded assets (high
confidence).
• The technical geological CO2 storage capacity is estimated to be on the order of 1000 GtCO2,
which is more than the CO2 storage requirements through 2100 to limit global warming to 1.5°C,
although the regional availability of geological storage could be a limiting factor. If the geological
storage site is appropriately selected and managed, it is estimated that the CO2 can be
permanently isolated from the atmosphere.

284

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