A Proton-Conducting Fuel Cell Operating with Hydrocarbon Fuels

摘要

It is commonly believed that hydrogen is the most ideal fuel for fuel cells because it has the highest energy conversion efficiency and the most environmentally friendly properties among the various possible fuels.Nearly half of the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen is actually converted into electricity with only water as a product.However,well-to-wheels(WTW)analyses are necessary to evaluate fuel-cell systems since the energy and environmental benefits of hydrogen as a fuel strongly depend on the choice of hydrogen production pathways.Indeed,the benefits of fuel-cell vehicles using hydrogen as fuel are not so great if hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels.This is mainly because of the energy loss in steam reforming hydrocarbons at high temperatures.Additional energy losses result from hydrogen storage and purification,a problem common to all hydrogen production pathways.