CHAPER 4
Thermodynamics of Fossil, Biomass,
and Synthetic Fuels
Energy and the Environment
James A. Fay / Dan S. Golomb
Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
FIGURE 4.1 A sketch of a hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell (not to scale). Hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to porous electrodes separated by
an electrolyte in which the electric current is carried by hydrogen ions. In the external electric circuit, current is carried by a matching
electron flow. The product of oxidation, water, evolves from the cathode.
Energy and the Environment
James A. Fay / Dan S. Golomb
Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
FIGURE 4.2 Idealized sketches of (a) fuel cell voltage and power as a function of current and (b) efficiency as a function of power.
Energy and the Environment
James A. Fay / Dan S. Golomb
Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
FIGURE 4.3 A plot of typical fuel cell performance showing the dimensionless electrode potential Δ/(Δ)th and electrical power
output IΔ /Iss(Δ)th versus the dimensionless current I/Iss.
Energy and the Environment
James A. Fay / Dan S. Golomb
Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.