A fuel cell is a device that uses hydrogen or a hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen to create an electric current. Fuel cells consist of two electrodes and an electrolyte which directly convert the chemical energy of a reaction between fuel and oxidant into electrical energy. Unlike combustion, fuel cells oxidize fuel directly into electricity without generating intermediate heat. They can achieve higher efficiency of energy conversion approaching 70% by directly converting chemical energy to electrical energy. Fuel cells consist of electrodes, electrolyte, and catalyst to facilitate the electrochemical redox reaction.

1. FUEL CELL
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2. FUEL CELL:
A device that uses hydrogen
(or a hydrogen rich fuel) and
oxygen to create an electric
current.
.
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3. Continue…
Fuel cells are electrochemical cells
consisting of two electrodes and an
electrolyte which convert the chemical
energy of chemical reaction between fuel
and oxidant directly into electrical energy.
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4. Ordinary Combustion Process of Fuel Vs Fuel Cell Process
Ordinary Combustion Process of Fuel
Fuel Oxygen Combustion Heat
Fuel Oxygen Oxidation Electricity
Fuel Cell Process
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5. Conventional process to produce Electrical Energy
is as follow
Chemical
Energy
Heat Energy
Mechanical
Energy
Electrical
Energy
• But in Fuel Cell, It directly converts
Chemical Energy into Electrical Energy.
• The efficiency of energy conversion in fuel
cell approaches to 70%.
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6. Principle of Fuel Cell
Fuel cell consists of electrodes, electrolyte &
catalyst to facilitate the electrochemical redox
reaction.
The basic arrangement in a fuel cell can be
represented as follows:
Fuel Electrode Electrolyte Electrode Oxidant
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7. Fuel Cell Consist of:
• Anode
• Electrolyte
• Cathode
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8. Fuel Cell Working:
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9. Fuel Cell represented as
• At Anode
2H2 → 4H+ + 4e
• At Cathode
O2 + 4H+ + 4e- → 2H2O
• Overall Reaction
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
Large number of these cells are stacked
together in series to make a battery called as
fuel cell battery or fuel battery.
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10. Advantages:
• High efficiency of energy conversion (approaching 70%)
from chemical energy to electrical energy.
• Low noise pollution & low thermal pollution.
• Fuel cell power can reduce expensive transmission lines
& minimize transmission loses for a disturbed system.
• Fuel cells are less polluting. The chemical process
involved in it is clean. It does not produce polluting
exhaust
• Designing is modular, therefore the parts are
exchangeable.
• Low maintenance cost.
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11. Advantages:
• Fast start up time for low temperature system.
• The demand for variations in power & energy densities is
easily met as required. e.g. Laptop, computers requires
low power density & high energy density where as
automobile requires high power density, high energy
density. Both can be powered by fuel cells.
• Fuel cells automotive batteries can render electric
vehicles, efficient & refillable.
• Hydrogen-Oxygen fuel cells produce drinking water of
potable quality.
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12. Disadvantages:
• High initial cost.
• Life times of the cells are not accurately known. 
• Large weight and volume of gas fuel storage system.
• High cost of pure hydrogen.
• Hydrogen can be stored in lesser volume by liquefaction
but liquefaction itself require 30% of the stored energy.
• Lack of infrastructure for distributing hydrogen.
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13. Applications:
• The first commercial use of fuel cell was in NASA space
program to generate power for satellites and space
capsules.
• Fuels are used for primary and backup power for
commercial, industrial and residential buildings in remote
and inaccessible area.
• They are used to power fuel cell vehicles including
automobiles, aero planes, boats and submarines.
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