Car News Articles 
 Alternative Fuel Vehicles
  BioFuels (9)
  Electric Cars (61)
 Fuel Cells (7)
  Hybrid Cars (48)
 Automotive Articles
 Car Buying Tips
 Car Insurance Articles
 Car Maintenance
 Car News
 Car Racing
 Car Repair
 Car Safety
 
 Driving Economically
 Environmental Issues
 Exterior Car Care
 Garage Know How
 
 How Car Stuff Works
 Motorcycle Articles
 Road Trips
 Traveling with Kids
 Younger - Older Drivers
 
 Amsoil Synthetic Oil
 Article Archives




spacer
spacer
Alternative Fuel Vehicles >> Fuel Cells

PEM Fuel Cells - How They Work

There are several kinds of fuel cells, but Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells-also called Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells-are the type typically used in automobiles. A PEM fuel cell uses hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity.

fuel cell stack


Fuel Cell Stacks

Most fuel cells designed for use in vehicles produce less than 1.16 volts of electricity-far from enough to power a vehicle. Therefore, multiple cells must be assembled into a fuel cell stack.

The potential power generated by a fuel cell stack depends on the number and size of the individual fuel cells that comprise the stack and the surface area of the PEM.

1) Hydrogen fuel is channeled through field flow plates to the anode on one side of the fuel cell, while oxygen from the air is channeled to the cathode on the other side of the cell.

2)At the anode, a platinum catalyst causes the hydrogen to split into positive hydrogen ions (protons) and negatively charged electrons.

3) The Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) allows only the positively charged ions to pass through it to the cathode. The negatively charged electrons must travel along an external circuit to the cathode, creating an electrical current.

4)At the cathode, the electrons and the positively charged hydrogen ions combine with oxygen to form water, which flows out of the cell.


The diagram below shows how these fuel cells work:
Pem Polymer Electrolyte Membrane





























U.S. Dept. of Energy







Related Articles:
Fuel Cells
New Advances Made in Hydrogen Fuel Cells

spacer
sdg
make image
model image
zip code


Stay Updated!


Fuel Cells
Related Articles
Morgan Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Prototype
Honda FCX Clarity Fuel-Cell Vehicle
Honda to Roll Out Hydrogen
Fuel-Cell Car "Exhaust"
PEM Fuel Cells - How
Fuel Cells
New Advances Made in Hydrogen
spacer

Feed Button



Car Insurance Info | Newsletter | Car Classifieds | Online Car Rentals
Auto Pictures | Link To Carjunky.com



Complete List of Article RSS News Feeds


Copyright © 1999 - . CarJunky® All Rights Reserved.