New Course Code and Title
IE7002 Fuel Cell Science and Technology
Details of Course
Summary of course content (please note that this information
provided will also be uploaded to the web for viewing at large)
Fuel cells provide one of the most efficient means for
converting the chemical energy stored in a fuel to electrical
energy. Fuel cells offer improved energy efficiency and reduced
pollution compared to heat engines. While composed of no or
very few moving parts, a complete fuel cell system amounts to a
small chemical plant for the production of power.
This course will cover from fundamentals to system applications
of current fuel cell technologies. Emphasis will be placed on
proton exchange membrane (PEM) and solid oxide fuel cells
(SOFC).
The
topics
will
include
materials
science,
thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and fluid mechanics. This
course aim to prepare students who are interested in fuel cell
research with fundamentals of fuel cell operating principles,
what are the critical issues to be solved, and current technology
development worldwide.
Rationale for introducing this course
Fuel cell is a highly interdisciplinary research area that involves
knowledge from Engineering, Materials Science, to more
fundamental Chemistry and Physics. Existing courses do not
provide such a complete and integrated lecture that covers the
wide spectrum of fuel cell research and technologies.
Aims and objectives
This course introduces students who are interested in fuel cell
research to the fundamental aspects of fuel cell systems.
Students will learn the basic principles of electrochemical energy
conversion while being exposed to relevant topics in materials
science and thermodynamics.
2
Syllabus
By the end of the course, students will have gained the skills
and knowledge to demonstrate the following objectives:
• Fuel Cell Characteristics. Contrast the advantages and
disadvantages
of
fuel
cells
to
other
energy
conversion
technologies (e.g. heat engines). Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages between the various fuel cell types (SOFC, MCFC,
PAFC, AFC, and PEMFC).
•
Fuel
Cell
Thermodynamics.
Perform
thermodynamic
calculations to quantitatively predict ideal fuel cell voltages as a
function of gas concentrations, pressure, and temperature.
Calculate thermodynamic efficiencies. Perform heat and mass
balances on fuel cell systems. Describe the basic mechanisms of
fuel cell reactions, electron transfer, and ionic transport at the
molecular scale.
• Fuel Cell Kinetics. Derive equations for activation, IR, and
concentration losses in fuel cell systems. Assemble a complete
(simple) analytical model for a fuel cell system and use it to
predict fuel cell performance over a range of operating
conditions (e.g. at various temperature, pressures, feed rates,
etc.) Identify the most significant kinetic constraints that limit
current fuel cell performance and suggest research directions to
improve performance.
• Fuel Cell Technology. Identify the major materials issues
remaining in fuel cell design. Describe the most important
characterization techniques used to test fuel cell performance
and identify bottlenecks.
• Fuel Cell Systems. Describe the major strategies for fuel cell
stacking. Compare planar vs. vertical fuel cell interconnection.
Discuss the major fuel cell system applications (portable,
transportation, stationary power) and be able to argue which
fuel cell types are most suited for each application. Discuss and
describe the ancillary equipment necessary for a complete fuel
cell
system
(Compressors,
humidification,
reformers,
heat
management, power conditioning). Perform a basic economic
analysis to predict the cost reductions necessary such that fuel
cell systems 3can be economically competitive with current
Assessment
Hours of Contact/Academic
Midterm Examination:
20%
Final Examination:
30%
Participation, assignments and attendance
20%
Term Paper
30%
Total:
100 %
39 hours / 3 AU
Units
4