What is the Working Principle of a Fuel Cell System?

[MacLincoln]

Fuel cell principle involves the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen through an electrolyte, generating a potential difference to form a low-voltage direct current output. The following is an introduction to the principle of fuel cells and their main fuels: Working principle of fuel cells: As the reactant, primary fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, methanol, etc., pass through a "fuel reformer" to separate hydrogen, which then enters the fuel cell stack. Meanwhile, oxygen from the air at the other end also enters the fuel cell stack, supplying the electrodes of the cell respectively. Through the electrolyte, hydrogen and oxygen undergo an electrochemical reaction, generating a potential difference to form a low-voltage direct current output. Main fuels: Fuel cells are mainly composed of fuel, oxidant, electrodes, electrolyte, etc. The fuels used are very diverse, such as natural gas, petroleum, methanol, liquid ammonia, hydrazine, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, etc. The capacity of this type of battery can be designed according to needs, mainly depending on the number of "single cells".

[LaMolly]

I've been driving a fuel cell vehicle for a while, and its working principle is truly amazing. After hydrogen is fed from the tank into the system, it's catalytically split into protons and electrons by special materials in the fuel cell stack; the electrons flow out to drive the electric motor and propel the car forward; the protons pass through a membrane; oxygen is drawn from the air and combines with them on the other side to produce water vapor, which is expelled. While driving, the only emission is zero-pollution water, and it's super quiet, like gliding on ice, with quick acceleration response and no lag. The advantage is that refueling with hydrogen takes just three minutes, much faster than charging an electric vehicle; however, hydrogen stations are scarce, requiring route planning for long trips. I believe it's the future trend—simple maintenance, less prone to overheating, with safety devices to prevent hydrogen leaks. If the hydrogen energy comes from wind or solar power, it would form a perfect eco-friendly closed loop. The overall experience completely redefines traditional driving pleasure.