Design and Implementation of Hydrogen Fuel Cell as a Means of Alternative Energy

摘要

The demand for electrical energy is on the increase particularly in a developing economy such as Nigeria, where the government has not been able to provide adequate and uninterruptible power supply to her fast growing population. More research is needed to bring electricityto the door step of the people by diverting attention into other sourcesof energy which can stand as viable alternative to the conventional sources of energy. This research is aimed at employing the potentials of water electrolysisto produce hydrogen fuel cell which can be used to power electrical appliances, among other applications. Step-by-step procedures where observed in using locally available materials to construct a containment of hydrogen fuel cell with an electrolyte and two electrodes separated apart into two equal halves of a transparent box made of Perspex. A light bulb (resistive load) was connected across the output terminals, and voltage/current variation s with respect to time was measured using appropriate instruments in order to deduce charging, discharging power and efficiency of the fuel cell. Graphs of measured values were plotted to determine their characteristics including the current/voltage (I-V) characteristics curve of the hydrogen fuel cell. Results of measured values and characteristic curves show that hydrogen fuel cell capable of powering electricalloads was produced, and the current density is dependent on the surface area surrounding the electrodes. That is, the wider the surface area around electrodes the higher the electrical energy generated.