Options for Zero Emissions
Air pollution has been a known problem for a very long time. There have numerous measures to try to lower the levels of pollutants that factories, chemical plants, incinerators, and power generating facilities create. These facilities are now regulated strictly by governments around the world. There is still an even greater threat to our atmosphere, the pollutants that come out the exhausts of internal combustion engines (ICE) of automobiles. Cars are our a permanent part of our society, they cannot be eliminated or even substituted. An alternative to the ICE has to be universally accepted and must be used by all of our society. One Type of Alternative is the hydrogen fuel cell. The hydrogen fuel cell works similar to that of a battery, yet it doesn't need replacing or charging. Hydrogen Fuel Cells combine elemental H2 gas with oxygen from air to create an electric current and pure H2O. As with the nitrogen, this is a very efficient reaction. The fuel cells, many of which are put next to each other to make a 'stack', each have two semi-porous electrodes separated by a liquid electrolyte. The interior side of the electrodes are coated in a platinum catalyst. When the two elements come in contact with the catalyst and th
Ballard Power Systems is one of the largest companies in the field of fuel cells. They develop fuel cell powered vehicles, power stations, portable generators, and marine generators. Ballard has formed an alliance between DaimlerChrysler and Ford Motor company to further advance this very promising technology. With the large amount of funding and research abilities thatthese three corporations have, the future of fuel cells is very bright. A single fuel cell consists of a membrane electrode assembly and two flow field plates. Each membrane electrode assembly consists of two electrodes (anode and cathode) with a thin layer of catalyst, bonded to either side of a proton exchange membrane (PEM).Gases (hydrogen and air) are supplied to the electrodes on either side of the PEM through channels formed in the flow field plates. Hydrogen flows through the channels to the anode where the platinum catalyst promotes its separation into protons and electrons. On the opposite side of the PEM, air flows through the channels to the cathode where oxygen in the air attracts the hydrogen protons through the PEM. The electrons are captured as useful electricity through an external circuit and combine with the protons and oxygen to produce water vapor on the cathode side. The main problem that developers of N2 powered cars had to overcome was that when thenitrogen was expanding, it absorbed so much heat, that the pipes that carried the gas would freeze up.This problem has been solved in the LN2000 by preheating the liquid nitrogen in such a way that ice is less likely to form and insulate the pipes and nitrogen from the ambient heat.The motivation behind this invention was that although fuel cells were effective at providing electricity with zero-emissions, the cost of a drive train with fuel cellpower would be seven to ten timesthat of a gasoline engine drive train. The inventors feel that nitrogen,once the process is refined, will have a cost per mile comparable tostandard gasoline. Hydrogen fuel, which can be obtained from fuels such as nat
Some common words found in the essay are:
Northern Texas, Ford Motor, University Washington, Fuel Cells, , Power Systems, Energy DOE, Type Alternative, fuel cells, fuel cell, liquid nitrogen, hydrogen fuel, Cool N2Car, cell powered, oxygen air, water vapor, pure water, carbon dioxide, fuel cell powered, hydrogen fuel cell, nitrogen gas, flow field plates, pure water vapor, membrane electrode assembly,
Approximate Word count = 1385
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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