Research and Development History of Fuel Power Cells -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Development history and research status of fuel cells
Advantages of fuel cells
As a fourth power generation device, fuel cells have the following main advantages compared with other power generation methods:
(1) Fuel cells directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy through the chemical reaction of fuel and oxidant, without intermediate energy conversion links, so the energy conversion efficiency of this power generation method can be as high as 50%. The waste heat generated in the power generation process can also be recovered. If the generated waste heat is reused for power generation or heating, water supply, etc., the overall efficiency can reach 80%.
(2) The fuel cell power generation process has few mechanical parts and low noise; the discharge from the chemical reaction is mainly clean gas such as water vapor, which will not pollute the environment. In today's increasingly serious environmental pollution, this advantage of fuel cells is particularly valuable.
(3) The fuel used in the fuel cell can be natural gas, coal gas and liquefied fuel, or methanol, biogas or even firewood. According to the specific conditions of different regions, different fuels can be selected for the power generation system of fuel cells, which can broaden the sources of fuel sources and relieve energy shortage.
(4) From the interruption of operation to the restart of the fuel cell, the power transmission capacity recovers quickly, and the power output can be increased or decreased in a short time. Therefore, it is most beneficial to connect this power generation system with other transmission grids, which can supplement part of the electric energy required by the grid during peak power consumption at any time.
(5) The fuel cell itself is a "combination body", and the components used can be produced in the factory in advance and then assembled; its small size makes it easy to disassemble and assemble, which can save the time for building a power station.
How fuel cells work
Commonly used ordinary batteries are alkaline dry batteries, lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries. Compared with ordinary batteries, fuel cells have both similarities and great differences. They have similar power generation principles, and both have electrolytes, electrodes, and positive and negative connection terminals in structure. The difference between the two is that the fuel cell is not a device that stores electrical energy, but is actually a power generation device. The chemical fuel it needs is not stored inside the battery, but is supplied from the outside. In a fuel cell, the reactants, fuel and oxidant can be continuously supplied to the electrodes. As long as the electrodes are separated in the electrolyte, the reaction products can be continuously discharged from the cell at the same time, and the corresponding continuous output of electrical energy and thermal energy. The replenishment of fuel is facilitated, so that the battery can work for a long time or even without interruption. The reason why people call it a fuel cell is just because it is similar to a battery in structure: its external characteristics are like a battery, and its output voltage decreases as the load increases.
A fuel cell is actually a chemical reactor that converts the chemical energy of the reaction of fuel with an oxidant directly into electrical energy. It does not have the prime mover to drive the power generation unit on a traditional power generation unit, nor does it have a direct combustion process. Fuel and oxidant are continuously input from the outside, and it can continuously output electrical energy. Its reactants are usually fuels such as hydrogen and oxygen, and its by-products are generally harmless water and carbon dioxide. The work of a fuel cell not only depends on the battery itself, but also requires subsystems such as fuel and oxidant supply and reaction product discharge together with the battery stack to form a complete fuel cell system.