Fuel Cells, Engines and Hydrogen An Exergy Approach

Fuel cell technology is the most exciting and legitimatealternative source of power currently available to us as worldresources of non-renewable fuel continue to be depleted. No otherpower generating technology holds the same benefits that fuel cellsoffer, including high reliability and efficiency, negligibleenvironmental impact, and security of supply. Fuel cells run onhydrogen – the simplest and most plentiful gas in theuniverse - although they can also run on carbon monoxide, methane,or even coal. Their applications are diverse, from poweringautomobiles, buildings and portable electronics, to convertingmethane gas from wastewater plants and landfills into electricity. Fuel Cells, Engines and Hydrogen is a controversial textthat challenges the accepted industry parameters for measuring fuelcell performance and efficiency. Based on his inter-disciplinaryexperience in the fields of power, nuclear power, and desalination,the author contends that the development potential of the fuel cellis related to the quantity fuel chemical exergy, which, likeelectrical potential, is a quantitative measure of work done. Thefuel cell community currently characterises these devices in termsof the enthalpy of combustion (calorific value) – however theauthor argues a correct, qualitatively different and fourfoldlarger characterisation is via the fuel chemical exergy, in unitsof work, and not energy. He asserts that the distortion introducedby this accepted perspective needs to be corrected beforerelatively efficient fuel cells, integrated with comparatively lowperforming gas turbines, reach the market.Fuel Cells, Engines and Hydrogen features a foreword byDr Gerry Agnew, Executive VP Engineering of Rolls Royce Fuel CellsSystems Ltd. It is essential reading for all engineers involvedwith fuel cells and/ or the manufacture of hydrogen from naturalgas, as well as academics in related disciplines such asthermodynamics, physical chemistry, materials, physics, mechanicaland chemical engineering.