Hydrogen-on-demand system for fuel cell application

• Main Author: Tan, Jackie Jia Qi
• Other Authors: Chan Siew Hwa
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/78099
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

As of today, the portable power generators that are extensively used are either detrimental to the environment or do not have the capacity to operate for long hours. Moreover, the energy sources fed into these generators are finite; it will not be able to sustain our ever-increasing energy demand for long. With technological advancement, more power generations technologies are greener. The use of fuel cell is one of the newer technologies. With the use of cleaner energy sources, it has a great potential to become the next widely used portable power generator. Unlike the battery technology or diesel generators, a fuel cell uses hydrogen gas as an energy source to generate electrical power. Hydrogen is an abundant element which can be found easily, and the generating of hydrogen gas can be renewable. As a result, harnessing renewable energy with hydrogen sources has been gaining popularity in recent years. Especially in the use for generating hydrogen gas through the hydrolysis of metal hydrides, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) has been studied thoroughly in recent years. Usually, a fuel cell will be accompanied by a hydrogen generator which uses the hydrolysis of NaBH4 for hydrogen storage. This means that electrical output generated can be continuous for a long period of time as long as there is constant supply of hydrogen gas. Moreover, most fuel cell lacks the capability of power generation without any restrictions in orientation of the generator. As such, in designing of the hydrogen generator, factors such as orientation independence and controlled hydrogen gas generation must be considered. A mechanical control system is used to regulate the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH4 in the hydrogen generator using a compression spring. A spring of the right stiffness, k, must be used so that the control system will work at the correct pressure difference during the hydrogen generation process.