Slashdot Mirror
Building Longer-Lived Fuel-Cell Stacks
An anonymous reader writes "Ballard Power Systems tells Wired that they have built a hydrogen fuel-cell stack that runs uninterrupted for 20,000 hours straight. But DuPont's Nafion membranes are very delicate, which makes the roadworthiness of fuel cells an issue."
I've been following the fuel cell development for a few years now, and have been shocked at the lifetime expectancy increases. However, I think that it's about time to stop working on making them go longer and worry about making them more stable and less expensive. Once they can get the price down to where they are as cost efficient as gasoline, and relatively safe and reliable, then they should start increasing the lifetime.
I have no regrets, this is the only path.
My whole life has been "UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS"
The Hindenburg disaster was caused by the highly combustible material coating the outer skin of the airship. The material used to seal the cellulose shell was very similar to what is used today as solid rocket fuel.
While hydrogen is inflammable, gasoline, the current fuel of choice is hardly fireproof. There is a good reason why military vehicles are diesel.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
Your link discusses recharging electric-powered cars, which would (obviously) lead to an increased electricity output from various power stations, which would boost carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions from the power stations.
"However, if fuel cells were used to recharge the batteries, there would be significant reductions in emissions from the power-generation and transport industries."
Either way, it doesn't talk about using fuel cells to drive the engine, which is what the real article talks about.
A Cooler, Cheaper Way to Power Fuel Cells
Big commercial fuel cells are already turning hydrogen into electricity in factories, office buildings, and power plants around the country. Most are fed by so-called reformers -- mini chemical plants that convert natural gas into hydrogen at around 2,000F. Such infernal temperatures are O.K. in industrial settings, but it's hard to imagine those reformers in homes.
Scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology have found a way to cool things down to as low as 600F -- "closer to the heat in your kitchen oven," says Zhong Lin Wang, a professor of materials science. It's done with certain oxides of rare-earth elements such as cerium. When doped with iron, the oxides efficiently transform methane into hydrogen, Wang's team reports in the March issue of Advanced Materials.
What's more, the Georgia Tech materials are self-renewing and work continuously. The oxides are recharged by exposing them to water vapor, from which they absorb the oxygen that was used in the conversion process. And despite their name, Wang's rare-earth oxides are plentiful, so they should be cheaper than the catalysts used in high-temperature units. In time, he hopes to slash the heat needed to levels so low that solar power could drive the reformer. Meanwhile, fuel-cell makers are lining up to fund the project.
By Adam Aston
Diesel requires high compression to combust. There has been instances where a spill of fuel oil or diesel has extinguished a household fire.
Gas-turbine powered vehicles (like the M1 Abrams) can burn gasoline, kerosene or diesel. All other combat vehicles use diesel. During WW2, when there were shortages of just about everything, gasoline engines were placed in halftracks and tanks, with disaterous results.
With regard to the Hindenburg, it is generally accepted that the initial fire was not a hydrogen burn, since spectators reported extemely bright and colorful flame. (Hydrogen flame is not very colorful) The outer shell of the Hindenburg caught fire, probally due to static discharge, which eventually led to a hydrogen leak and bigger fire.
You'll find that many fire disasters are causes by various sealants. That big circus fire in the 50's killed hundreds of people because a mixture of kerosene and paraffin wax was used to waterproof the tent.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK