2009 Ultimate Fuel Cell Technology Guide: Clean Energy for Cars, Trucks, Power Generation - Government Research and Production Plans, Fuel Cell Handbook (CD-ROM)

This comprehensive electronic book on CD-ROM provides the most authoritative sources available on fuel cell technology, with complete reproductions of dozens of government documents about fuel cell research and technology, with material from the Energy Department, the Defense Department, and NASA. Two prominent publications include the Fuel Cell Handbook and the 2007 Office of Fossil Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory Fuel Cell Program Annual Report. Fuel cells are one of the cleanest and most efficient technologies for generating electricity. Since there is no combustion, there are none of the pollutants commonly produced by boilers and furnaces. For systems designed to consume hydrogen directly, the only products are electricity, water and heat. Fuel cells are an important technology for a potentially wide variety of applications including on-site electric power for households and commercial buildings; supplemental or auxiliary power to support car, truck and aircraft systems; power for personal, mass and commercial transportation; and the modular addition by utilities of new power generation closely tailored to meet growth in power consumption. These applications will be in a large number of industries worldwide. The Seventh Edition of the Fuel Cell Handbook includes Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Program (SECA) activities. In addition, individual fuel cell technologies and other supporting materials have been updated. Finally, an updated index assists the reader in locating specific information quickly. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy in fuels into electrical energy directly, promising power generation with high efficiency and low environmental impact. Because the intermediate steps of producing heat and mechanical work typical of most conventional power generation methods are avoided, fuel cells are not limited by thermodynamic limitations of heat engines such as the Carnot efficiency. In addition, because combustion is avoided, fuel cells produce power with minimal pollutant. However, unlike batteries the reductant and oxidant in fuel cells must be continuously replenished to allow continuous operation. Fuel cells bear significant resemblance to electrolyzers. In fact, some fuel cells operate in reverse as electrolyzers, yielding a reversible fuel cell that can be used for energy storage. Though fuel cells could, in principle, process a wide variety of fuels and oxidants, of most interest today are those fuel cells that use common fuels (or their derivatives) or hydrogen as a reductant, and ambient air as the oxidant. Most fuel cell power systems comprise a number of components: Unit cells, in which the electrochemical reactions take place. Stacks, in which individual cells are modularly combined by electrically connecting the cells to form units with the desired output capacity. Balance of plant which comprises components that provide feedstream conditioning (including a fuel processor if needed), thermal management, and electric power conditioning among other ancillary and interface functions. Contents of the Program Report include: Coal-based Systems, Cost Reduction, Research and Development, Materials and Manufacturing, Fuel Processing, Power Electronics, Modeling and Simulation, Balance of Plant, Advanced Research, Acronyms and Abbreviations, much more.