Week 2 Challenge

Question 1:Membrane of Polymer Electrolyte (PEM) Fuel cells (FC):
Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, also known as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, have a high power density and are lighter and smaller than other fuel cells. A solid polymer electrolyte and porous carbon electrodes with a platinum or platinum alloy catalyst are used in PEM fuel cells. To function, they just require hydrogen oxygen from the air and water. They're usually powered by pure hydrogen from storage tanks or reformers. PEM fuel cells run at a low temperature of roughly 80 degrees Celsius, which allows them to start fast and reduces wear on system components, resulting in improved longevity. It does, however, necessitate the employment of a noble metal catalyst.

SOFCs (solid oxide fuel cells) are a type of solid oxide fuel cell. SOFCs use a non-porous ceramic compound as the electrolyte, and they convert fuel to electricity at roughly 60% efficiency. In this application, the waste heat from the system is captured and used (co-generation) Overall fuel efficiency may reach 85 percent. SOFCs Operating at extremely high temperatures eliminates the requirement for a precious metal catalyst, lowering costs. It also allows SOFCs to reform fuels internally, allowing them to use a wider range of fuels and lowering the expense of adding a reformer to the system. SOFCs are also the most sulfur-resistant fuel cell kind; they can withstand several orders of magnitude more sulphur than other cell types, and they are not poisoned by carbon monoxide, which can cause death in some people.

Alkaline fuel cells were one of the earliest fuel cell technologies to be created, and they were also the first to be widely used. utilised in the United States space programme to generate electrical energy and water for spacecraft The electrolyte in these fuel cells is a solution of potassium hydroxide in water, and the catalyst at the anode and cathode can be any non-precious metal. Novel AFCs using a polymer membrane as the electrolyte have been created in recent years. These fuel cells differ from acid fuel cells in that they use an alkaline membrane instead of an acid membrane. AFCs' great performance is related to the rapidity with which electrochemical reactions occur in the cell. They've also demonstrated efficiencies of more than 60%.

Methanol Fuel Cells Direct:
Most fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, which can be directly delivered into the system or created within the system by reforming hydrogen-rich fuels like methanol, ethanol, and hydrocarbon fuels. However, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) use pure methanol that is combined with water and fed directly to the fuel cell anode. Because methanol has a higher energy density than hydrogen and burns at a lower temperature than gasoline or diesel, direct methanol fuel cells avoid many of the fuel storage issues that plague other fuel cell systems. Because methanol is liquid, it is also easier to transport and supply to the public using present infrastructure. DMFCs are used in a variety of applications.

Question 2:As can be seen from the graph, lithium ion lead acid Nickel Cadmium batteries have a poor power density but a moderate energy density. The fuel cell has a low power density and a high energy density, whereas the ultracapacitor or super capacitor has a moderate power density and a moderate energy density.
CONCLUSION: All of the objectives have been met.