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    Harnessing Hydrogen For Power: Hydrogen Cars

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    Dixi Modi
    Hydrogen cars use hydrogen as a fuel through either combustion or fuel cells. Major car companies are focusing on fuel cells, which are more efficient than combustion engines. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. They work by ionizing hydrogen at the anode, sending protons through a membrane to the cathode where they bond with oxygen to produce water and energy. Hydrogen cars have advantages like zero emissions but challenges include high costs and limited fueling infrastructure.

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    Harnessing Hydrogen For Power: Hydrogen Cars

    Uploaded by

    Dixi Modi
    74 views18 pages
    Hydrogen cars use hydrogen as a fuel through either combustion or fuel cells. Major car companies are focusing on fuel cells, which are more efficient than combustion engines. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. They work by ionizing hydrogen at the anode, sending protons through a membrane to the cathode where they bond with oxygen to produce water and energy. Hydrogen cars have advantages like zero emissions but challenges include high costs and limited fueling infrastructure.

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    Hydrogen cars use hydrogen as a fuel through either combustion or fuel cells. Major car companies are focusing on fuel cells, which are more efficient than combustion engines. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. They work by ionizing hydrogen at the anode, sending protons through a membrane to the cathode where they bond with oxygen to produce water and energy. Hydrogen cars have advantages like zero emissions but challenges include high costs and limited fueling infrastructure.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    74 views18 pages

    Harnessing Hydrogen For Power: Hydrogen Cars

    Uploaded by

    Dixi Modi
    Hydrogen cars use hydrogen as a fuel through either combustion or fuel cells. Major car companies are focusing on fuel cells, which are more efficient than combustion engines. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. They work by ionizing hydrogen at the anode, sending protons through a membrane to the cathode where they bond with oxygen to produce water and energy. Hydrogen cars have advantages like zero emissions but challenges include high costs and limited fueling infrastructure.

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    Harnessing Hydrogen for

    Power:
    Hydrogen Cars

    Marisa Katz
    Hannah Lobingier
    What exactly is a Hydrogen Car
     In a hydrogen car, its primary source of power is
    from breaking down hydrogen
     The use of hydrogen usually happens by two methods
    Hydrogen can be burned much like the combustion reaction
    that takes place in the gas powered cars seen today. This is
    called a internal hydrogen combustion engine
    OR
    Hydrogen can be set up to react with oxygen to produce water
    and electricity. This is called a fuel cell.
    Hydrogen Cars and Fuel Cells
     Major car companies today are focusing on using fuel cells,
    instead of hydrogen internal combustion engines because it is
    thought that fuel cells will be more efficient and produce
    power in even cleaner ways. Instead of burning fuel in an
    engine, fuel cells are electrochemical energy
    conversion devices. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and
    oxygen into water, and along the way produces
    electricity.
    Ways of Getting Hydrogen
    Water is covalently bonded so energy is necessary to break this
    molecule apart into hydrogen and oxygen
     Electrolysis (separating water by using electric currents)
    H22O + electricity → H22 + O22
    ex.) battery, electrical outlet with a source of fossil fuels or
    renewable energy
     Thermolysis (heat used to break up a substance)
    H22O + heat → H22 + O22
    ex.) solar panels
    Other molecules with hydrogen can be broken up into their
    components with added energy
     Biological sources
    Algae deprived of sulfur will produce hydrogen in a bioreactor
     Hydrocarbons
    Hydrogen comes from crude oil
    Fuel Cells: A Brief History
     In 1839 Sir
    William Grove
    invented the first
    fuel cell called a
    gas voltaic battery
     50 years later
    Ludwig Mond and
    Charles Langer
    coined the term
    “fuel cell” Picture of Modern Day Fuel Cell
    How Fuel Cells Work
     Fuel Cells are like batteries
     The type of fuel cell highlighted today
    uses a constant flow of hydrogen to
    produce energy
     A reaction takes place between the hydrogen
    and oxygen that converts the energy released
    into useable electrical energy
     The most common fuel cell is one that runs off
    of proton exchange
    This exchange takes place in the Proton Exchange
    Membrane, or PEM
    The Functions of Fuel Cells

    http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/edu_k-12/teachers/fuelcells.html#dl
    How Energy is Made
     1. Hydrogen gas is pumped to
    the anode
     2.The platinum anode acts as
    a catalyst to a reaction that
    ionizes the gas
     The ionization reaction breaks
    hydrogen atoms into hydrogen
    protons(+) and electrons(-)
     3.Ions are attracted to the
    cathode but have two ways of
    getting to it 5.Electrons are
     4.Protons pass through the forced around the
    membrane membrane thus
    releasing energy
    Hydrogen to Water
    In the cathode O2 is ionized to O2-.
    In the anode H2 is ionized to 2H+
    2H+ + O2- = H2O
    When these elements combine energy
    is given off in electron form and gives
    off power to run an engine and water is
    also produced
    Fuel Cell: Energy and Clean
    Bi-Products
     On the cathode side of the cell, oxygen is
    being fed where it is then converted to
    oxygen ions
     When the hydrogen protons and electrons
    reach the cathode, new products are formed
    due to the bonding of the ions.
     The “waste products” are water and heat
    Advantages
     Zero emissions (pure water is produced)
     No dependence on foreign oil
     Ability to harvest solar and renewable energy
     Not many moving parts in a vehicle (more
    mileage before things start breaking)
     Hydrogen weighs less than gasoline (vehicles
    would not need as much energy to move)
    Price Tag: Drawbacks to
    Hydrogen Car
     Hydrogen Supply
     At this time there are very few stations that supply
    hydrogen cylinders to power a car
     Also, the price for hydrogen is comparable to gas;
    however it takes two or three times as much to
    power a car.
     As of now it is very expensive to equip a car
    with a hydrogen fuel cell.
     Hydrogen is expensive to make, store, and
    transport
     As of now, in a fuel cell the center is a
    platinum plate which is very expensive
    Comparable Efficiencies
     Hydrogen Fuel cells at over 50% efficiency
     Fossil fuel powered car at 10% - 20%
    efficiency
     Hybrid powered cars have 30% - 35%
    efficiency
     Ethanol is less efficient than fossil fuel
    - ethanol gets 20% less mpg than fossil
    fuels
    The Hydrogen Car Forefront
     In 2003, President Bush
    instated a national program
    called the Hydrogen Fuel
    Initiative
     The goal is to “develop
    hydrogen, fuel cell and
    infrastructure technologies to
    make fuel-cell vehicles
    practical and cost-effective by
    2020.”
     The US has put over 1
    billion dollars to date in
    hydrogen car research
    Companies Getting Involved
     Ford
    - P2000
     Honda
    - FCX
     BMW (within 2 years)
    - Hydrogen 7
     Mazda
    - Wankel motor
     General Motors
    - Sequel
    California: Goes Green
    California has around 13 pilot
    stations and plans some 170
    commercial ones by 2010.
    Arnold Swarchenegger has pledged to
    turn one of his existing Hummers into
    a hydrogen powered car
    Thank you
    We would like to thank Dr. Skip Rochefort
    for being so generous with his time.
    The hydrogen car and fuel cell were
    both lent to us to better demonstrate the
    hydrogen car.
    Resources
     http://www.fi.edu/inquirer/hydrocar.html
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicl
    e#Hydrogen_production_cost
     http://planetforlife.com/h2/h2vehicle.html
     http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354
    /C6941/
     http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4563676/
     http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/photos.html
     http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm
     Dr. Skip Rochefort

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