Features
Pollution-free
Thefuelcelldoesnotpollutetheenvironment.Itisthroughelectrochemicalreaction,ratherthanusingcombustion(gasoline,diesel)orenergystorage(battery)-themosttypicaltraditionalbackuppowersolution.CombustionwillreleasepollutantslikeCOx,NOx,SOxgasanddust.Asmentionedabove,fuelcellsonlyproducewaterandheat.Ifhydrogenisproducedbyrenewableenergysources(photovoltaicpanels,windpowergeneration,etc.),theentirecycleisaprocessthatcompletelydoesnotproduceharmfulemissions.
Nonoise
Thefuelcellrunsquietly,andthenoiseisonlyabout55dB,whichisequivalenttothelevelofpeople'snormalconversation.Thismakesthefuelcellsuitableforindoorinstallation,orinplaceswherenoiseisrestrictedoutdoors.
Highefficiency
Thepowergenerationefficiencyoffuelcellscanreachmorethan50%,whichisdeterminedbytheconversionpropertiesoffuelcells.Itdirectlyconvertschemicalenergyintoelectricalenergywithouttheneedforthermalenergy.Andtheintermediatetransformationofmechanicalenergy(generator).
Difference
Drybatteriesandaccumulatorsareenergystoragedevicesthatstoreelectricalenergyandreleaseitwhenneeded;hydrogenfuelcellsarestrictlyapowergenerationdevice.Likeapowerplant,itisanelectrochemicalpowergenerationdevicethatdirectlyconvertschemicalenergyintoelectricalenergy.Inaddition,theelectrodesofhydrogenfuelcellsaremadeofspecialporousmaterials.Thisisakeytechnologyofhydrogenfuelcells.Itnotonlyprovidesalargecontactsurfaceforgasandelectrolyte,butalsocatalyzesthechemicalreactionofthebattery..
Applicationfields
Aerospacefield
Inthe1960s,hydrogenfuelcellshavebeensuccessfullyusedintheaerospacefield.The"Apollo"spacecraftthattravelsbetweenspaceandtheearthisequippedwithsuchasmallandlarge-capacitydevice.Afterenteringthe1970s,aspeoplecontinuedtomasteravarietyofadvancedhydrogenproductiontechnologies,hydrogenfuelcellsweresoonusedinpowergenerationandautomobiles.
Largepowerstations,whetherhydropower,thermalpowerornuclearpower,sendthegeneratedelectricitytothepowergrid,andthepowergriddeliversittousers.However,duetothedifferentloadsofdifferentpowerusers,thepowergridsometimespresentsapeakandsometimesatrough,whichwillleadtopoweroutagesorvoltageinstability.Inaddition,about70%ofthecombustionenergyoftraditionalthermalpowerplantsisconsumedinhugeequipmentsuchasboilersandsteamturbinegenerators,anditconsumesalotofenergyandemitsalotofharmfulsubstancesduringcombustion.Theuseofhydrogenfuelcellpowergenerationistodirectlyconvertthechemicalenergyofthefuelintoelectricalenergywithoutburning.Theenergyconversionratecanreach60%to80%,andithaslowpollutionandlownoise.Thedevicecanbelargeorsmall,anditisveryflexible.
Hydrogenhasactivechemicalproperties,anditcanbecombinedwithmanymetalsoralloys.Aftersomemetalsoralloysabsorbhydrogen,ametalhydrideisformed.Someofthemetalhydrideshaveahighhydrogencontent,evenhigherthanthedensityofliquidhydrogen,andthemetalhydridewilldecomposeundercertaintemperatureconditions,andTheabsorbedhydrogenisreleased,whichconstitutesagoodhydrogenstoragematerial.
Automotiveapplications
20hydrogenfuelcellsedansindependentlydevelopedbyChinawillbelaunchedinBeijingattheNewEnergyVehicleEngineeringCenterofTongjiUniversity.TheywillbeputintooperationduringtheOlympicGames.These20hydrogenfuelcellcarsarebasedontheVolkswagenPassatLingyumodelandsuccessfullydevelopedthroughtherestructuringandintegrationofthelatestgenerationoffuelcellcarpowersystemplatforms.Theyusehydrogenasanenergysourceandgeneratewaterthroughthechemicalreactionofhydrogen,thusrealizingzeropollution.Ahydrogenfuelcellcarcanrunmorethan300kilometersperhourwithasinglehydrogenaddition,andthespeedcanreach140-150kilometersperhour.Hydrogenfuelcellcarsaremorethan200kilogramsheavierthandiesellocomotivesofthesametype,whichismorethan5timesmoreexpensive.
Theworkingprincipleofahydrogenfuelcellvehicleis:sendhydrogentotheanodeplate(negativeelectrode)ofthefuelcell.Aftertheactionofthecatalyst(platinum),anelectroninthehydrogenatomisseparatedandlosestheelectron.Hydrogenions(protons)passthroughtheprotonexchangemembraneandreachthecathodeplate(positiveelectrode)ofthefuelcell,whileelectronscannotpassthroughtheprotonexchangemembrane.Thiselectroncanonlypassthroughtheexternalcircuitandreachthecathodeplateofthefuelcell,therebybeinggeneratedintheexternalcircuit.Current.Aftertheprotonsreachthecathodeplate,theyrecombinewithoxygenatomsandhydrogenionstoformwater.Sincetheoxygensuppliedtothecathodeplatecanbeobtainedfromtheair,aslongastheanodeplateiscontinuouslysuppliedwithhydrogen,thecathodeplateissuppliedwithair,andthewater(vapor)istakenawayintime,electricenergycanbecontinuouslysupplied.Theelectricitygeneratedbythefuelcellissuppliedtotheelectricmotorthroughinverters,controllersandotherdevices,andthenthewheelsaredriventorotatethroughthetransmissionsystem,driveaxle,etc.,sothatthevehiclecandriveontheroad.Comparedwithtraditionalvehicles,theenergyconversionefficiencyoffuelcellvehiclesisashighas60to80%,whichis2to3timesthatofinternalcombustionengines.Thefuelofthefuelcellishydrogenandoxygen,andtheproductiscleanwater.Itdoesnotproducecarbonmonoxideandcarbondioxide,nordoesitemitsulfurandparticulates.Therefore,hydrogenfuelcellvehiclesaretrulyzero-emissionandzero-pollutionvehicles,andhydrogenfuelistheperfectvehicleenergysource!
Theadvantagesofhydrogenfuelcellvehiclesareundoubted,andthedisadvantagesareobvious.Withtheadvancementofscienceandtechnology,issuessuchassafetyandhydrogenfuelstoragetechnologythathaveplaguedthedevelopmentofhydrogenfuelcellshavebeengraduallyovercomeandcontinuouslyimproved.However,thecostissueisstillthebiggestbottleneckhinderingthedevelopmentofhydrogenfuelcellvehicles.Thecostofahydrogenfuelcellis100timesthatofanordinarygasolineengine,andthispriceisunbearablebythemarket.
Itisreportedthatthisbatchofhydrogenfuelcellvehicleshasamaximumoutputof60kilowattsandafuelconsumptionofonly1.2kilogramsofhydrogenper100kilometers,whichisapproximatelyequivalentto4litersofNo.93gasoline.
TheBritishgovernmentwillvigorouslydevelophydrogenfuelcellvehicles,andplanstoincreasethenumberofhydrogenfuelcellvehiclesintheUKto1.6millionby2030,anditsmarketsharewillreach30%-50by2050%.Thegovernmentwillrealizethelocalizedproductionofhydrogenfuelcellvehiclesfrom2015anddeveloprelatedtechnologiesonitsown.Inaddition,itwillalsobuildahydrogenfuelsupplystation.
Atpresent,ToyotaMotorCorporationhasdrasticallyreducedthecostoffuelcells.Thepriceofthevehicleiscontrolledat69,000USdollars(400,000yuan),whichcanprovide100KWpoweroutputandabatterylifeof700kilometers.ItwillbeinNorthAmerica.ItwillbelaunchedinJapanandthemarketwillbeinthefirsthalfof2015.
Aircraftapplication
Workingprinciple
Fuelcellisakindofpowergenerationdevice,Butnotlikeordinarynon-rechargeablebatteries,whichareusedupanddiscarded,andlikerechargeablebatteries,theymustberechargedwhentheyareusedup.Asthenamesuggests,fuelcellscontinuetoaddfueltomaintaintheirelectricity.Thefuelrequiredis"hydrogen".Thisiswhyitisclassifiedasanewenergysource.Theoperatingprincipleofthefuelcellisthatthebatterycontainstwoelectrodes,anodeandcathode,respectivelyfilledwithelectrolyte,andthetwoelectrodesareformedbyapermeablemembrane.Hydrogenenterstheanodeofthefuelcell,andoxygen(orair)entersthefuelcellfromthecathode.Throughtheactionofthecatalyst,thehydrogenmoleculesoftheanodearedecomposedintotwoprotonsandtwoelectrons.Theprotonsareattractedbyoxygentotheothersideofthefilm,andtheelectronsformacurrentthroughanexternalcircuitandreachthecathode..Undertheactionofthecathodecatalyst,protons,oxygenandelectronsreacttoformwatermolecules,sowatercanbesaidtobetheonlyemissionfromfuelcells.The"hydrogen"fuelusedinfuelcellscancomefromthehydrogenproducedbytheelectrolysisofwaterandanyhydrocarbons,suchasnaturalgas,methanol,ethanol(alcohol),biogas,andsoon.Becausethefuelcellgenerateselectricityandwaterthroughthechemicalreactionofhydrogenandoxygen,itisnotonlycompletelypollution-free,butalsoavoidsthetime-consumingproblemoftraditionalbatterycharging.Itiscurrentlythemostpromisingnewenergymethod.IfitcanbepopularizedandappliedInvehiclesandotherhigh-pollutingpowergenerationtools,itwillsignificantlyreduceairpollutionandthegreenhouseeffect.
100kilometersperhour
BoeingsuccessfullytestedasmallaircraftpoweredbyhydrogenfuelcellsonApril3,2008.Boeingsaidthisisthefirsttimeinthehistoryofworldaviation,indicatingthattheaviationindustrywillbemoreenvironmentallyfriendlyinthefuture.ButBoeingadmitsthatthistechnologyisunlikelytoprovidethemainpowerforlargepassengeraircraft.
BoeingconductedthreetestflightsofhydrogenfuelcellaircraftinOcaña,SpainfromFebruarytoMarch2008.Thesuccessfultestflightsareofhistoricalsignificance.Thetake-offandclimbprocessofsmallairplanesuseshybridelectricityprovidedbytraditionalbatteriesandhydrogenfuelcells.Afterclimbingtoacruisingaltitudeof1,000metersabovesealevel,theaircraftcutoffthetraditionalbatterypowersupplyandreliedonlyonhydrogenfuelcellstoprovidepower.Theplaneflewatanaltitudeof1,000metersforabout20minutesataspeedofabout100kilometersperhour.ThistechnologyisofgreatsignificancetoBoeing,anditalsomakesthefutureoftheaviationindustry"fullofgreenhope."
ThesmallaircraftisconvertedfromtheAustrian"Diamond"(Diamond)two-seaterpropellerpoweredglider.Protonexchangemembranefuelcellsandlithium-ionbatteriesareinstalledintheaircraft.Thesmallaircrafthasawingspanof16.3meters,afuselagelengthof6.5meters,weighsabout800kilograms,andcanaccommodatetwopeople.Duringthetestflight,therewasonlyonepilotonboard.
Inthecabin,thetraditionalbatteryisplacedintheonlypassengerseat,andanoxygentanksimilartothatusedbydiversisbehindthepilot.Boeingsaidtheaircrafthasacontinuousflighttimeofupto45minutesand"willnotproduceanynoise."Hydrogenfuelcellsgenerateelectricitythroughtheprocessofconvertinghydrogenintowateranddonotproducegreenhousegases.Inadditiontoheat,watervaporistheonlyby-productproducedbyhydrogenfuelcells.
Boeing’shydrogenfuelcellaircraftbroughttechnologicalbreakthroughs,butthe"Boeing(Europe)ResearchandTechnology"departmentsaid.Thistechnologymayprovideauxiliarypowerforlargeaircraft,butitrequirestechnologicalbreakthroughs.
Technicallimitations
Inthecontextofrisingfuelprices,environmentalpollutionandglobalwarming,thedemandforcleaner,safer,andmoreefficientvehiclesisgrowingrapidly.
Boeing’shydrogenfuelcellaircrafthasbroughttechnologicalbreakthroughs,butBoeing(Europe)ResearchandTechnologyDirectorEscattisaidthathydrogenfuelcellscanprovideflightpowerforsmallaircraft,butnotforlargeaircraft.Passengeraircraftprovidethemainpower.
Boeing'sengineerinchargeofflighttests,NievesRapeña,saidthatthistechnologymayprovideauxiliarypowerforlargeaircraft,butitrequirestechnologicalbreakthroughs.Boeingsaiditwillcontinuetodevelopthepotentialofhydrogenfuelcellstoimprovetheenvironment.
TheInternationalEnergyAgencysaidthatthepromotionoftheuseofhydrogenandhydrogenfuelcellscanreducetheenergyconsumptionofoil,naturalgas,andcoalthatcangenerategreenhousegases.
Developmentstatus
AccordingtotheInternationalEnergyStorageSummit,asatruly"zeroemission"cleanenergy,theapplicationofhydrogenfuelcellsindevelopedcountriesisaccelerating.Japanwillbuild100hydrogenrefuelingstationsby2015,and13ofthemhavebeencompleted.TheEUhasrecentlyapprovedtheprojecttoincreasefuelcellbuses;HyundaiMotor'six35fuelcellvehiclemassproductionmodelhasbeenrolledoffthelineinMarch2012andisplannedfor2015Massproductionsince2010.Thisshowsthatfuelcellshavetrulymovedfromthelaboratorytoindustrialization,andcomparedwithlithiumbatteries,ithastheadvantageofzeropollution.
TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergystatedtotheoutsidethatSouthKoreanautomakerHyundaiMotor,GermanautomakerMercedes-Benz,JapaneseautomakersNissanMotorandToyotaMotorhavereachedanagreementwiththedepartmentandwillpreparetolaunchthefirstroundofhydrogenpower.car.Thispublicsectorandprivateenterprisecooperationmodelwillfocusontheconstructionofhydrogenenergyinfrastructure,andwillnamethisH2USA.
SouthKorea'sHyundaiMotorheldamassproductionceremonyforhydrogenfuelcellelectricvehiclesattheUlsanplant.Fromtheendofthismonth,theTucsonixhydrogenfuelcellelectricvehicleswillbeofficiallyproduced.
AttheEuropeanlevel,theNetherlands,Denmark,Sweden,France,theUnitedKingdomandGermanyhavereachedanagreementtojointlydevelopandpromotehydrogenenergyvehicles.ThecountrieswilljointlybuildaEuropeanhydrogenfacilitynetworkandcoordinateenergytransmission.
TheBritishgovernmenthasproposedthatitwillvigorouslydevelophydrogenfuelcellvehicles.Itplanstohave1.6millionhydrogenfuelcellvehiclesintheUKby2030,anditsmarketsharewillreach30%by2050-50%.
mycountry’sfirsthydrogenfuelcellelectriclocomotivewasfinallydevelopedafterfouryearsandcanbeusedinindustrialfields,suchasminingtractors.Inaddition,duringthe2008OlympicGames,20hydrogenfuelcellcarsindependentlydevelopedbymycountrywereputintooperation.TongjiUniversityparticipatedinthedevelopmentofthefirstbatchoffuelcellvehiclestoobtainanationalroadpermit.
OnJune30,2010,ShandongDongyueGroupannouncedtotheworldthatChina’sself-developedperfluorinatedionmembranesforchlor-alkaliandfuelcellmembraneswillbedomesticallyproduced.After8yearsofscientificresearch,itbrokethelong-termmonopolyofthetechnologyintheUnitedStatesandJapan.Atthesametime,"Dongyue"completedaproductionfacilitywithanannualoutputof500tonsfortheproductionofsulfonicacidresinionmembranes,whichisthecorematerialoffuelcells.Thethirdcountrywiththetechnologyandindustrializationcapabilities.
The"high-energyhydrogenfuelcell"jointlydevelopedbyJapaneseelectronicpartsmanufacturerRoma,AquaFairyandKyotoUniversity.Thisnewtypeofbatterygenerateselectricitythroughachemicalreactionbetweencalciumhydrideandwater.Afuelcelloflessthan3cubiccentimeterscangenerate5watt-hoursofelectricity.Itcanbewidelyusedinavarietyofelectronicdevicesincludingsmartphones,ortoprovidebackuppowersupplyinemergencysituations.