Hydrogen-fuelled engines for automobiles and hydrogen fuel cells are two different technologies that use hydrogen as an energy source, and they each have some advantages and disadvantages. Here are their main advantages:
Hydrogen Fuel Engine
1 High energy density: hydrogen has a high energy density, enabling hydrogen fuel engines to deliver high power and long range, comparable to conventional fuel engines.
2Fast refuelling: charging hydrogen is faster than recharging and usually takes just a few minutes to complete, meaning hydrogen-fuelled vehicles offer similar convenience in refuelling as conventional vehicles.
3 Zero emissions: The only emission from a hydrogen fuel engine is water vapour, which produces no tailpipe emissions, helping to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
1Efficient energy conversion: Hydrogen fuel cells have a higher energy conversion efficiency, and compared to internal combustion engines, they can convert hydrogen into electricity more efficiently, thus reducing energy waste.
2Quiet operation: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are typically quieter compared to internal combustion engines because they have no explosive combustion process, only electrochemical reactions.
3Long range: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles typically have a longer range because their battery systems can store more energy.
4 Zero Emissions: Like hydrogen fuel engines, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles emit only water vapour, helping to reduce environmental pollution.
It is important to note that both technologies have some challenges and limitations, such as problems with hydrogen production and storage, and lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Therefore, the choice of technology depends on a number of factors, including available infrastructure, cost, energy source and application requirements. In the future, as technology develops and infrastructure improves, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are likely to play a more important role in the automotive market.
Is the fuel cell storage battery still going to be a lithium battery?
Fuel cells and lithium batteries are two different types of battery technologies that have their own advantages in different application scenarios and needs. The choice of which battery technology to use depends on the specific application and performance requirements.
Advantages of Fuel Cells
1 High range: Fuel cells typically have a long range, making them suitable for applications that require long periods of operation, such as electric buses and long-haul trucks.
2 Fast refuelling: Hydrogen refuelling is faster than recharging, which is an important advantage for applications that require fast refuelling, such as taxis and commercial vehicles.
3 Zero emissions: Fuel cell vehicles emit only water vapour and no tailpipe emissions, helping to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Advantages of lithium batteries
1 High energy density: Li-ion batteries typically have higher energy density, making them suitable for applications requiring high energy density, such as light-duty vehicles, e-bikes and mobile devices.
2Flexibility: Li-ion batteries can be easily adapted to applications of all shapes and sizes, making them widely used in small electronic devices and electric vehicles.
3 Mature infrastructure: Charging infrastructure is relatively mature and widely distributed, making it easier for Li-ion battery technology to be supported in different regions and uses.
All things considered, fuel cells may be a better choice if long range and fast refuelling characteristics are required, as well as the need for zero emissions. However, if the application requires high energy density, smaller scale, or an established charging infrastructure already in place, then lithium batteries may be more appropriate. In addition, some applications may use a hybrid system of the two to capitalise on their respective advantages. In the future, these advantages and disadvantages may change as technology continues to evolve, depending on new innovations and market demand.
What is the basic composition of fuel cell?
Fuel cell is a device that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy, and its basic composition includes the following main components:
Anode (Hydrogen Electrode): The anode is one pole of the fuel cell, usually consisting of a catalyst layer, a hydrogen diffusion layer and a hydrogen supply layer. Hydrogen is supplied to the anode and an oxidation reaction occurs under the action of the catalyst, which decomposes hydrogen molecules into hydrogen ions and electrons.
Cathode (Oxygen Electrode): The cathode is the other pole of the fuel cell and usually consists of a catalyst layer and an oxygen supply layer. Oxygen is supplied to the cathode from the outside and combines with hydrogen ions and electrons under the action of the catalyst to produce water vapour (H2O).
Electrolyte Film: The electrolyte film is the separating layer between the anode and cathode and is usually made of a polymer material. This membrane allows protons (hydrogen ions) to pass through, but prevents the flow of electrons, so that the electrons must travel through an external circuit to connect the anode and cathode.
Catalyst: Both the anode and cathode contain a catalyst layer, usually using a precious metal (e.g. platinum) as a catalyst to accelerate the rate of reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and to facilitate proton transport.
Current collector: Both anode and cathode contain current collectors to collect electrons generated from the catalytic reaction and direct them to external circuits for the flow of current.
Cooling system: As the fuel cell generates heat during operation, a cooling system is needed to control the temperature and prevent overheating.
Hydrogen supply system: For applications such as fuel cell vehicles, a hydrogen supply system is needed to deliver hydrogen to the anode.
Air supply system: Fuel cells usually need to obtain oxygen from the outside, so they are equipped with an air supply system to deliver oxygen to the cathode.
These components work in tandem to enable a redox reaction to occur between hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell, generating electrical energy and at the same time producing water vapour as the only emission. This conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy makes fuel cells a clean, efficient energy conversion technology for a variety of applications, including automobiles, power stations and portable power sources.
Do fuel cells store energy themselves?
Fuel cells do not store energy themselves; they are a device that can convert chemical energy (stored in hydrogen and oxygen) directly into electrical energy, rather than storing electrical energy like a battery. Fuel cells work by generating electrical energy in a redox reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
The task of storing energy is usually performed by other parts outside the fuel cell system, which include:
Hydrogen storage: in fuel cell vehicles that use hydrogen as fuel, the hydrogen is usually stored in gaseous or liquid form in specialised hydrogen storage tanks. These tanks are used to store the hydrogen supply.
Oxygen supply: Oxygen is usually obtained from the external atmosphere rather than stored to supply the fuel cell.
Fuel supply system: In addition to hydrogen, some types of fuel cells need to be supplied with other fuels such as methanol or natural gas.
Electrical energy management system: Fuel cell systems usually include an electrical energy management component to control and adjust the distribution and output of electrical energy to meet demand.
Although fuel cells do not store energy per se, unlike batteries they offer advantages such as long run times and fast refuelling. Whereas a battery stores energy and then releases it, a fuel cell can produce electrical energy continuously with a continuous supply of hydrogen with the fuel supply. This gives fuel cells an advantage in applications that require long runs, such as electric buses and long-haul trucks.
