GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM WATER USING A HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
ABSTRACT
In a quest to reduce the amount of heat retaining greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, various efforts have been made, with one of the most notable being the advancement in renewable energy. However, regardless of the progress made, renewable energy has yet to taken over from conventional energy. One of the major reasons for this is that the source fuel from most renewable energy technology is variable in nature, solar energy can only be gotten at places with sunlight, geothermal energy from place with naturals steam vents, wind energy in large areas and the list goes on. When compared to convention fuel that is readily available, due to its infrastructure, it’s no wonder the handover has failed to occur. However, there is a source fuel that is readily available and already has the infrastructure that can compete with conventional energy; Water. While the technology popular for the extraction of energy from water is the hydroelectric technology, its limitation is well known. This project aims to extract electrical energy from water through another technology which is, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
In order to achieve the thesis aim, an intensive literature review of Hydrogen Fuel Cell system was conducted. The knowledge gotten from the review was then used to source for the materials and tools needed to construct the system. The system was then put together, tested and generated electricity. This achievement shows that the progression of the human race from its dependency on conventional fuel to renewable sources is at hand.
1. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
The increment of heat retaining greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, majorly through human activities such as the burning of fossil fuel, has caused the continuous heating of the
Earth’s climate system: a phenomenon more commonly known as global warming [1] . While the phenomenon’s origin can be traced back the industrial revolution [1] , efforts into solving the problem began in earnest with the Paris Agreement that came into existence in 2015 [2] . One of such effort is the advancements made in the renewable energy sector [2] .
As the name suggests, renewable energy is energy that is gotten from resources that do not deplete or can be replenished. This sector has received so much attention in the past years allowing it to develop to the extent of being used in both large and mini girds around the world [2] ,[3] . Different forms of renewable technologies are available in the market which includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, nuclear, ocean/tidal and hydro-electric technologies [3] . Not only does this technology provide an alternative to the conventional (fossil fuel) technology, it is also more likely to cause less harm to the environment [3] .
These renewable energy sources all share the advantage of not adding to the CO2level of the atmosphere during their operation; but they are not without their limitations. For example; solar, ocean/tidal and wind energy technologies are dependent on the seasons; geothermal energy is vulnerable to earthquakes and it also possess a high capital cost; biomass energy needs a strong recycling system; nuclear energy needs proper disposal techniques as well as highly educated and experienced professionals for operation [3] .
Being the oldest renewable energy technologies available, Hydroelectric energy could be said to be the fulfillment of the dream of natural scientist from long ago; which is to convert water to electrical energy without any detour [4] ,[5] . In addition to its highly environmentally friendly operation, it offers high reliability, low operational and maintenance cost, and requires little supervision from mini to large power grid. Nevertheless, it is not without its limitations such as its dependency on season, location, initial cost and time of construction [6] . However, there is another renewable energy technology that performs the function of converting water to electricity without the constraints that hydroelectric technology has: that is the Fuel cell.
Due to the advancement on renewable energy source around the world, prices for various nondiminishing energy resources are dropping and Fuel cells are not left out of the loop. Though left untouched for 40 years after its birth in 1842, fuel cells have found application in space Shuttle programs around the world. Also, as replacement for Internal combustion engine in both stationary and mobile power applications like power supply for cars, planes, homes and business. Numerous research is underway to make it available for power electronics devices such as laptops and phones [4] . Figure 1.1 shows the various types of fuels cells and their area of application:
Figure 1.1: Image Showing Various Applications of Fuel Cells [7]
1.2. Problem Statement
Renewable energy technologies all have their advantages and limitations but one of the major reasons they have failed to take over from conventional energy is due to their variable nature; for example solar energy can only be harnessed in places with sufficient access to sunlight, wind energy can only be gotten in large areas that have access to wind, geothermal energy can only be extracted in places with natural steam vent, the source fuel for biomass energy requires time to be extracted in sufficient quantities as well as a good recycling system, the source fuel for nuclear energy requires a lot of specializations to be refined, ocean/tidal is only available for those who live near the ocean. In contrast, the source fuel (fossil fuel) for conventional energy is easily obtained thanks to the available infrastructure.
However, there is a fuel that is widely available worldwide and has the potential to replace fossil fuels and that is water. The technology that is popular for extraction of energy from water is the Hydroelectric technology but this, like other renewable energy sources, has its limitations; one of which is the location where the technology can be implemented. In this project, fuel cell technology is looked at as a possible alternative to hydroelectric to untap the full potential of the renewable natural resource, water.
1.3. Motivation
Water is one of the most abundant resources on the planet, it is used in basically every area of our lives, from our household activities, to manufacturing, and just the sustenance of life on earth; the importance of this resource cannot be overlooked. However, the view of water as a fuel is one that is foreign to most regardless of the fact that it is already being used to generate electricity through hydroelectric technology.
Hydroelectric energy is the electrical energy derived from water. However, the popular technology used to achieve this takes a long time and resources to erect a power plant. It is also particular about terrain as it requires a place with natural flowing water body to function and disrupts aquatic habitat. This naturally translate to its dependency on the seasons as during the dry season there is less flowing water than in the Rainy seasons. Due to this, the cleanest and most abundant fuel on earth has only found application in the large-scale power generation sector. This is not the case with fuel cell as its portability allows it to be used in various sectors/industries such as Transportation, Space, Electronics and of course power generation as well.
1.4. Aim and Objectives
This project aims at the construction of a fuel cell and electrolyzer which will be used to generate electricity from water.
The key objectives of this research work are to:
- Perform an in-depth literature review on fuel cell systems.
- Build both a fuel cell and electrolyzer. Use the fuel cell and electrolyzer to generate electricity from water.
1.5. Project Outline
The contents of this project work are presented in comprehensive chapters with the specifics of each chapter below:
Chapter One outlines the background of the research, statement of problem, motivation and the aims and objectives.
Chapter Two describes the history and the review of past work, several past research works were quoted.
Chapter Three explains the proposed method to achieve construction of fuel cell and electrolyzers. The operating principles are presented and the design is also shown in this chapter.
Chapter Four outlines the experimental results, and challenges. Result analysis based on electricity generated/produced.
Chapter Five summarizes the work carried out in this research i.e., the conclusion.
GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM WATER USING A HYDROGEN FUEL CELL