Реферат: Fuel Cells Flywhheels And Hybrids Essay Research

Fuel Cells, Flywhheels, And Hybrids Essay, Research Paper

Fuel Cells, Flywheels and Hybrids

There are three types of experimental vehicle (EVs) propulsion technologies on the

currently being tested. Batteries are currently the most popular power source for modern

EVs but they are by no means the only available technology. A number of alternatives are

under development and they, too, are well positioned to rival batteries as an effective EV

power source.

1.Fuel cells

Some of the most recent and exciting news in electric-vehicle development has centered

around a new power source, called the fuel cell.

?The fuel cell utilizes a special membrane to generate electricity through the controlled

reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms. ?Unlike batteries, which store electricity

rather than generate it, fuel cells actually produce electricity through a controlled

chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

Inside a fuel cell, the two elements are fed to opposite sides of a porous membrane. As

hydrogen atoms pass through the pores, they are stripped of their electrons. This results

in a negative charge on the membrane?s hydrogen side and a positive charge on the

oxygen side. Stacking fuel cells in series produces enough power to operate a vehicle.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to this innovative system?hydrogen is extremely

volatile. It is also difficult to store and unavailable at local filling stations. Chrysler

Corporation is currently working on a fuel cell that eliminates some of these obstacles,

notably storage and inconvenience. Their efforts may make fuel cells a viable option in

the near future.

One of Chrysler?s plans is to use small amounts of gasoline in fuel cells. Doing so would

eliminate the dangerous proposition of storing hydrogen onboard an EV before

converting it to electricity. A series of reaction chambers in the system would convert the

gasoline to hydrogen as needed, and carbon monoxide?produced as a

byproduct?would be processed in additional chambers that would convert it to harmless

carbon dioxide.

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