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Fuel Cells; System Management questions

L

Lionheart

SOH-CM-2014
Hey all,

Does anyone know about the new 'Fuel Cell' propulsion systems, like what Ford are experimenting with?



Bill
 
Bill these would be hydrogen fuel cells.
Despite the hype, they are nothing more than batteries that need to be topped up with hydrogen every now and then to make them go.
 
Can you imagine what it would be like if we had real hydrogen fuel cells?
You could sit on high ground above a city and watch the detonations. It would be rather spectacular at night! :pop4:
 
fuel cells also use precious metals like platinum in their construction.
imagine the spate of auto thefts simply to harvest the platinum from your fuel cell !
 
Hi Bill,
I don't have references in front of me but I believe if you nose around NASA's websites you ought to be able to come up with some pretty good tech on fuel cell systems they've sponsored for development. They go back at least as far as the Apollo program (1962).

Here's a recent NASA article:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/18mar_fuelcell.htm

For thoroughness take a look at some of the archival articles on Apollo development. One of the advantages for a spacecraft is that fuel cells produce water as a by product, which your spacemen can drink. Oxygen your ship takes along for the fuel cells can also be used for breathing and maintaining the spaceship atmosphere.

For reference sake, you still need to "add" energy to fuel cells to get them to work. You have to generate or capture oxygen and hydrogen from somewhere in order to recombine them in a fuel cell.
:running:

I'm still thinking "Mr. Fusion"
 
Many thanks Java2Serv,


I totally forgot about the oxygen hydrogen reactors on the Apollo ships. I had seen a couple at the Smithsonian on display. They stand about 2 feet tall. Impressive mechanisms.

Bill
LHC
 
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