How Does a Hydrogen Cell Work?

Fuel Cells

Fuel cells are electrochemical energy conversion devices. These are devices that convert fuel and oxidants into electricity by exploiting a chemical reaction. As long as they are supplied with fuel and oxidants, they can go on and on. Fuel cells differ from batteries in that batteries store energy, while fuel cells create energy.

Hydrogen Cells

Hydrogen cells are a type of fuel cell that uses hydrogen as its source of fuel, and oxygen as their oxidizing agent. Hydrogen cells are the most common type of fuel cell in use at this time, and produce no pollution or other side effects. The only by-products of a hydrogen fuel cell are water, heat, and electricity.

Conversion

The process by which hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity is relatively simple on its surface. Exposing hydrogen and oxygen to the presence of an electrolyte, turns the hydrogen and oxygen into water. In the process of converting these elements into water, electricity is produced. The electricity, in the form of Direct Current (DC) can then be used more efficiently, since it does not have to be converted from chemical energy, as it does in a battery.

Uses

Combinations of fuel cells, to create energy, and batteries, to store the energy, are becoming popular in the environmental movement. Ford, for example, has collaborated with a company called Airstream to a design a vehicle that operates on that principle, using a combination of a fuel cell and a lithium battery. They believe that the vehicle will be able to drive for what is comparable to 41 mpg in a gas-powered automobile.

Drawbacks

While the ability to produce endless supplies of electricity from common and readily available elements such as hydrogen and oxygen has great promise, there are drawbacks to using hydrogen cells as fuel sources. First, hydrogen cells, and other fuel cells, lose efficiency when too much power is drawn from them. As power and efficiency lower, the heat levels raise in direct proportion to the lowering of the power levels. This lack of robust efficiency limits the applications for which hydrogen cells are suited. Secondly, while the elements themselves are inexpensive, the parts needed to make the fuel cell are extremely expensive. In addition, in order for fuel cells to be viable as an energy source for a car, they must improve not only their durability, but also find an efficient means of storage for the hydrogen.