Fuel cells and their use in mitigating global climate change issues
- CSI Engineering, PC Montgomery Village, MD (United States)
Fuel cells have emerged in the last decade as one of the most promising new technologies for meeting the Nation`s energy needs well into the 21st century and have the flexibility to be used in single kilowatt to multi-megawatt applications. Unlike power plants that use conventional technologies, fuel cell plants that generate electricity and usable heat can be built in a wide range of sizes--from 200 kilowatt units suitable for powering commercial buildings to 100 megawatt plants that can add baseload capacity to utility power plants. Fuel cells are similar to batteries in that both produce a DC current by using an electrochemical process. Two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, are separated by an electrolyte. Like batteries, fuel cells are combined into groups, called stacks, to obtain a usable voltage and power output. Unlike batteries, however, fuel cells do not release energy stored in the cell, running down when the energy is gone. Instead, they convert the energy in a hydrogen rich fuel directly into electricity and operate as long as they are supplied with fuel. Fuel cells emit almost no sulfur and nitrogen compounds normally released by conventional generating methods, and can utilize a wide variety of fuels: natural gas, coal-derived gas, landfill gas, biogas, or alcohols. Three different fuel cell technologies are being targeted by the US DOE Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) and the power industry for stationary power generation. They differ in the composition of the electrolyte and are in different stages of development. Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFCs) are the most mature fuel cell technology and are already in the first stages of commercialization. Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs) now being tested in full scale demonstration plants, offer higher fuel-to-electricity efficiencies approaching 60%. MCFCs operate at higher temperatures, making them candidates for combined-cycle applications in which the exhaust heat is used to generate additional electricity. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) currently being demonstrated in a 100 kilowatt plant, are state-of-the-art fuel cell technology and offer the stability and reliability of all-solid-state ceramic construction.
- OSTI ID:
- 349115
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980985-; ISBN 1-890977-15-2; TRN: IM9924%%115
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual international Pittsburgh coal conference, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 14-18 Sep 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Fifteenth annual international Pittsburgh coal conference: Proceedings; PB: [1500] p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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