Jan 18 2007
Disadvantage of Fuel Cell Technology
Barier on Hydrogen Fuel
Hydrogen difficult to be produced and saved in storage media. Nowdays, hydrogen production methods are very expensive dan need a lot of energy (which mean: hydrogen production has less efficiency ). To overcome this barier, many industries used hydrocarbon reforming technology to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbon. This way choose just on transition era, before we reach hydrogen era where hydrogen can take from efficient water electrolysis methods.
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Contaminants Sensitivity
Fuel cell need pure hydrogen as fuel, free from contaminants. Contaminants like sulfur, mixture of carbon compound could deactivate of fuel cell catalyst and when continuing it will destroy this catalyst. Different with internal combustion engine, where contaminants not much influent the combustion reaction.
Expensive of Platinum Catalyst
Fuel cell that applied on automotive industries need platinum catalyst to perform electrochemical reaction so that fuel cell could generate electric power. Platinum is a rare metal and very expensive. Base on geological survey from USA specialist, total reserve of platinum metal on the world just 100 million kg (Bruce Tonn and Das Sujit, 2001). Today, fuel cell with installed capacity 50kW need 100 gram platinum metal as catalyst (DOE, 2000). Assume we have a good fuel cell development (include: improve the thrifty of platinum usage, slow growth of fuel cell marketplace, less demand of platinum metal), estimated before 2030 there is no more again platinum metal on the world (Anna Monis Shipley and R. Neal Elliott, 2004). For that reason, we need research and exploration to discover the alternative catalyst that have similar function with platinum metal.
Freezing
Beside fuel cell generate electricity, it also generate thermal product which very useful to prevent freezing on normal environment temperature. But, when there is extreme lowest enviroment temperature (-10 s.d -20 Celcius) so that water product will freeze on the inside of fuel cell, this bad condition could be damage for fuel cell membrane (David Keenan, 10/01/2004). For that reason, we have to design a system that could keep fuel cell environment have normal temperature.
New and Advance Technology
We need develop some alternative material and construction method so that could reduce fuel cell production. Nowdays, commercial cost of fuel cell for power generation is ~$4000/kW (Javit Drake, 29/03/2005).
By intensive research and development we hope could release a fuel cell system that have competitive cost with conventional combustion engine (on: $20/kW) and with conventional power generation (on: $1000/kW) (Matthew M. Mench, 24/05/2001). New technology will reduce cost, weight, size with improvement on performance and lifetime operation a fuel cell system. Implementation of fuel cell on automotive industries must have minimal lifetime operational 4,000 hours (equivalent with vehicle that running on 100,000 mile with speed 25 mile per hour) and on power generation industries must have minimal lifetime operational 40,000 hours (Matthew M. Mench, 24/05/2001).
Lact of Infrastructures
Hydrogen production intrastructure installed yet, just on experimental scale and prototype. The available of reliable manufacture technology and mass production are the important key to force commercial fuel cell technology.
References:
- Matthew M. Mench, Chao-Yang Wang and Stefan T. Thynell., An Introduction to Fuel Cells and Related Transport Phenomena, Dept of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, USA, pp: 3 - 4, 24/05/2001
- David Keenan, Fuel Cell Companies, Minnesota Futurists Financial Futures SIG, USA, 10/01/2004
- Javit Drake, Fuel Cells: Concept Today, Practical Tomorrow?, Gillette Technical Center Needham, 29/03/2005
- Anna Monis Shipley and R. Neal Elliott, Stationary Fuel Cells: Future Promise, Current Type, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Washington D.C, March 2004
- Bruce Tonn and Das Sujit, An Assessment of Platinum Availability for Advanced Fuel Cell Vehicles, Oak Ridge, Tenn.: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2001
- United Technologies Corporation, Benefits of the PC 25 Fuel Cell Power Plant, South Windsor Conn.: United Technologies Corporation, 2002
- Bluestein, Joel (Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc.), Personal Communication, October 2002
- Stefan Geiger, Fuel Cells in Austria, Italy and Switzerland – A Survey of current Developments, www.fuelcelltoday.com, 2004
- Anonim, Fuel Cell: Technology Comparison, 09/10/2006
- Anonim, Advantages of Fuel Cell Vehicles, 09/10/2006
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