Hydrogen Fuel Cell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hydrogen Fuel Cell - Essay Example 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