Re: Fuel Cells

[Chuck Britton <britton@odie.ncssm.edu>]

Leigh writes:
> Fuel cells derive their electrical output by combining hydrogen and oxygen
> more or less reversibly, thus bypassing the restrictions of thermodynamics
> which diminish the efficiency of combustion engines which also combine
> hydrogen and oxygen, but which must discharge waste energy to the
> environment.

	Fuel cells (as well as MagnetoHydroDynamic genertors etc.) may well
	not be analyzable in terms of the Carnot Cycle, but I seriously
	doubt if they escape the thermodynamic tyranny imposed on the
efficiency
	by the Th and Tc. (right??)


> See http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~dbryan/fuelcell.html for some fuel
> cell information. The leading producer of fuel cells is located right here
> in Burnaby, BC. You might take a look at their web pages* which contain some
> explanation of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell that is now powering
> buses in Vancouver and Chicago as well as a Mercedes minivan which is the
> forerunner of their low emission vehicle effort. Chrysler and Honda will
> also be using Ballard's technology.

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