Motivation-ChemicalEngineering.docVIP

Overview of Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cells Motivation: Sustainable Energy Devising sustainable energy resources that are readily accessible to all nations, environmentally friendly, and cost competitive with fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum oil) is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. As of January 1, 2006, proven world oil reserves were estimated at 1,293 billion barrels with about 71 percent located in the Middle East or Canada [United States Energy Information Administration, /country/index.cfm?view=reserves]. In 2007, the world consumption of petroleum was 86 million barrels per day. During the same time period, the consumption in the United States of America was 21 million barrels per day. [United States Energy Information Administration, /emeu/ipsr/t21.xls, accessed January 2009]. Further, as more nations become industrialized, the consumption of these fixed oil reserves increases. The last few decades of the 20th century alone saw several new nations become significantly industrialized. The depleting supply of fossil fuel alone is a reason to seek an alternative fuel for the world. As a final note, energy generation from fossil fuel has led to significantly increased atmospheric greenhouse gas (e.g., CO, CO2) levels as well as those of byproducts (NOx, SOx, particulate matter, hydrocarbons etc.). The Hydrogen Economy and Fuel Cells A futuristic view of energy supply is based on hydrogen rather than fossil fuels. The coined term ‘hydrogen economy’ is a hypothetical economy in which energy for vehicular transportation and electricity is derived from reacting hydrogen (H2) with oxygen (O2). Depending upon the hydrogen source, a shift to a hydrogen economy may diminish fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. A key technology to enabling a hydrogen economy is the fuel cell. Fuel cells are electrochemical energy conversion devices that yield electrical energy from chemical reactions. These devices vary depending on the ch