Fuel cells, after 165 years of a long development process, from cutting-edge laboratory to the field of aerospace, to civilian, and gradually form the industrialization, commercialization, as the new century, the great development of the automotive industry has laid a solid material foundation. Fuel cell vehicles will lead to 21 new energy and environmental protection green revolution, has become an international high-tech competition in the automotive industry and to win the next hot market trump card, which is the development of Hyundai Motor and the inevitable trend of the new trends. In this paper, a more detailed description of the advantages of burning batteries, development history, development prospects and its application in automotive applications.
Key words: fuel cell applications
Throughout the world, and fuel cell vehicles for its forthcoming “Clean, quiet, smiling,” the image into the 21st century, and become the new century, motor vehicles and people’s dream of star ideal means of transport, this is the new Hyundai Motor Trend and an inevitable trend.
Since the birth of electric vehicles that day on, the lead-acid batteries has been ruled by the power source for electric vehicles excellent Jiangshan, but because of lead-acid batteries stored energy less scrapped after serious lead acid and heavy metals pollution of the environment, so the development of clean non-polluting, high efficiency, long life of the new energy has become the world an important responsibility of the automobile industry, fuel cell is the most optimistic about a new alternative to lead-acid batteries.
I. What is a fuel cell
Fuel cell is an after burning to electrochemical reaction would fuel the chemical energy directly into electric power generation device, which is through the oxygen and hydrogen into water and electricity simple electrochemical reaction. It can be a variety of types, but are based on a basic design, that is, they all contain two electrodes, a negative anode and a positive cathode. These two electrodes were located between them, carrying the charge charge separate solid or liquid electrolyte. Electrode catalyst (such as platinum), commonly used to accelerate the electrochemical reaction. As long as the fuel cell to continuously supply fuel, it can occur in a row electrode electrochemical reaction, and generate electricity. A single fuel cell block voltage less than 1V, and therefore to combine a number of fuel cells to produce cell stack, and in accordance with the needs of voltage and current cell stack will be carried out in series or in parallel in order to generate sufficient electricity.
Second, fuel cell’s unique advantages and development prospects
Fuel cells with traditional lead-acid batteries unparalleled unique advantages of high efficiency, no pollution, low noise, short construction period, low cost and easy to maintain, as well as its attractive characteristics.
The first is its high efficiency. In theory, the fuel cell could be 90 percent of fuel energy into the availability of electricity and heat. In fact, the direct methanol fuel cell power generation efficiency has reached 40%, phosphoric acid fuel cell power generation efficiency close to 46 percent; molten carbonate fuel cell power generation efficiency of more than 60%; solid oxide fuel cell and turbine-generator joint use, and its efficient and can achieve 70%. Such a high power generation efficiency can be said to be unprecedented.
Second, has a good environmental benefits. In recent years, with the world’s automobile production and maintain a sharp increase in the volume of its emissions of pollutants of air pollutants accounted for more than 50%, of which CO, HC, NOX and volatile organic compounds that affect air quality in the major killer, can lead to ozone depletion is the most important root causes of the greenhouse effect has become a hazard to human health of the “culprit”, the world’s people are their “abhorrence”, countries have enacted more stringent regulations to control. Thus, the solution to the problem of environmental pollution is the key to solve the structural problems of energy, research and development of clean energy, and fuel cells fits well with the environmental protection needs. Fuel cells is the only direct application of hydrogen fuel and oxygen in its platinum catalyst to trigger the electrochemical reaction occurs, the reaction by-product is water, and almost no other harmful substances, its application to the car completely can achieve “zero emissions, zero pollution.” It is not only car the most promising alternative clean energy, but also widely used in space shuttles, submarines, underwater robots, communications systems, small and medium-sized power plants, household power, is very suitable for the provision of mobile, distributed power supply and close to the end-user electricity supply, but also solve the problem of peak power grids, the market has broad prospects.
Third, according to experts predict that the 21st century, the lower lobe the world will face the depletion of oil resources to petroleum products as fuel in Hyundai Motor is about to face “starvation” and “death” threat. The fuel cell can use natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, gas, coal, biomass and alcohols such as fuel. Storage capacity of these fuels, and some also can be regenerated (such as biomass, alcohol), has become the world’s problems to solve one of the important ways.
Throughout the world, almost all the world’s developed countries are in the fuel cell research and development has invested huge sums and manpower, fuel cell technology has become an international competition in the high-tech hot spots and to seize a weapon of the future market, more and more research , industry attaches great importance to the 21st century will lead to new energy and environmental protection green revolution. The United States would fuel cell technology relating to national security as a technical one, “Time” magazine will be fuel cell electric vehicles as a high-tech 21st century, 10 of the first; the Japanese Government that the fuel cell technology in the 21st century the core of the energy field of the environment; Canada plans to fuel cells to develop into the country’s pillar industries. Over the past decade, foreign governments and enterprises in the fuel cell investment in the amount of more than 10 billion U.S. dollars. For the development of fuel cells, Daimler - Chrysler Corporation a year in recent years invested one billion U.S. dollars, Toyota’s annual investment of more than five billion yen. Assistant U.S. fossil energy克西格尔said: “The fuel cell technology in the 21st century, half of the impact of technically, would be similar to half of the 20th century, the role of the internal combustion engine.” Conceivable, if the fuel cell really be widely used in the car, then the “pollution” will become a distant term.
Third, the development of fuel cell Brief History
The history of fuel cells can be traced back to the 19th century, judges and British scientists, Sir William Robert Grove work. In 1839, Grove carried out by electrolysis experiment - - use the water into hydrogen and oxygen - - is known as the fuel cell was the first device. Later, it was soon discovered that if you want to commercialize this technology, we must overcome the obstacles to a large number of science and technology. Therefore, people’s interest in the earlier invention Grove started the indifferent. Until the late 19th century, the emergence of internal combustion engines and large-scale use of fossil fuel makes the fuel cell has been on for only a scientific strange stories.
Fuel cells could be on the modern history of the development starting in the 20th century, the early 60s. At that time, the U.S. government’s new agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are looking for their forthcoming series of unmanned space flight powered approach. Due to heavy use of dry-cell batteries, solar energy is expensive, but nuclear power is far too dangerous, fuel cell is to attract their attention in the field of space applications was a great success, especially in 1968, NASA completed a set of Apollo person lunar landing program, research on fuel cell will heat up, research projects are also increasing year by year.
20th century 80’s, fuel cells began to turn from civilian space applications, in addition to the 60’s has been in space applications to achieve the highest level of alkaline fuel cell (AFC), there are fuel cell (PAFC), molten carbonate battery (MCFC) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and other new types of fuel cells have come out in succession. They are successfully used in power plants and diesel generators and co-generation networking civilian areas, the power reaches a very megawatts, operating efficiency as high as 70%. 90’s fuel cell breakthrough is the largest proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) development, because, from the performance, efficiency, weight, cost, etc. comprehensive survey found that, PEMFC fuel electric cars the most suitable technology.
Fuel cells, after 165 years of a long development process, from cutting-edge laboratory to the field of aerospace, to civilian, and gradually form the industrialization, commercialization, as the new century, the great development of the automotive industry has laid a solid material foundation.
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