Fuel Cells

Basics

• These are devices like batteries, but with oxygen and/or air as the oxydizer and a fuel (Usually gas or liquid excluding magnesium and zinc fuel cells)
• More Efficient Converters Than ICE's and ECE's
• Do not Produce Carbon Monoxide and other Byproducts due to lack of combustion
• Do produce waste heat (amount varys based on design) (This heat can also be harvsted via something like a turbine (such as a steam one) or a Stirling Engine to improve efficiency further

Specifications

• 2kW/kg of weight [1]
• $45/kw when manufactured on million-scale volume

Designs Relevant to OSE

Membrane Needed

• Alkaline Fuel Cell
• Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Membraneless Fuel Cells

• Laminar Flow Fuel Cell
• Homogenous Fuel Cell

Other

• Zinc Air Battery
• Reversible Fuel Cell-Flow Battery

Useful Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Fuel Cells
• A subset of the Wikipedia Page on Fuel Cells with a great infographic
• Good overview statement on the technology and challenges - http://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-fuel-cells