Fuel Cell Principle?
2 Answers
Fuel cell principle involves an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen through an electrolyte, creating a potential difference that results in low-voltage DC output. Working principle of fuel cells: Primary fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, and methanol act as reactants. After hydrogen is separated via a "fuel reforming device," it enters the battery body. Simultaneously, oxygen from the air at the other end also enters the battery body, supplying the electrodes respectively. Through the electrolyte, hydrogen and oxygen undergo an electrochemical reaction, generating a potential difference that produces low-voltage DC output. Main fuels: Fuel cells mainly consist of fuel, oxidizer, electrodes, and electrolyte. The fuels used are highly diverse, including natural gas, petroleum, methanol, liquid ammonia, hydrazine, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, etc. The capacity of such batteries can be designed according to requirements, primarily depending on the number of "single cells."
I've researched this, and fuel cells are actually quite fascinating. Essentially, they are continuous power generation devices that produce electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Imagine the battery pack in a car: hydrogen enters from one side and decomposes into electrons and protons at the negative electrode catalyst. The protons pass through a special membrane to the positive electrode side, while the electrons go to drive the electric motor. On the positive electrode side, oxygen combines with protons and electrons to form water vapor, which is then expelled—resulting in zero emissions throughout the process, making it very eco-friendly. The Toyota Mirai currently uses this type of technology, where refueling with hydrogen takes just three minutes and can cover over 800 kilometers. The only drawback is that hydrogen refueling stations are still limited. The reaction efficiency is two to three times higher than that of an internal combustion engine, and the only emission while driving is water vapor, causing absolutely no environmental pollution.