Consumer electronics supply

Faraday s law of electrolysis The amount of product formed or reactant consumed by an electric current is stoichiometrically equivalent to the amount of electrons supplied. 

The cathodic reaction supplies the hydroxyl ions for the reaction at the anode by consuming electrons from the external circuit per the reaction... 

Smaller fuel cells (1 kW and lower) may be used as portable power as well as back-up power (uninterruptible power supply) or as battery chargers. Small fuel cells are also being developed as battery replacement which would enable longer operation time for consumer electronics (such as laptop computers, cell phones, cameras, and music players). There is a wide array of possible fuel cell applications in military battery chargers, telecommunications, navigation systems, soldier power, computers, various power tools,... 

Fuel cells, especially PEMFCs, can be used for various applications ranging from portable power supply for use in consumer electronic devices to stationary deployment for combined heat and power generation. Another potential application is transportation, in which fuel cell systems are developed for the propulsion of cars. The performance, operating conditions, costs, and durability requirements differ depending on the application. Transportation applications demand stringent requirements on fuel cell systems. Only the durability requirement in the transportation field is not as rigorous as the stationary application, although cyclic durability is necessary. 

Fig. 1 Sketch of the principal operation of a fuel cell two electrodes are separated by a gastight electrolyte. The fuel (H2) is supplied at the anode, where it is oxidized releasing electrons. The oxidant (O2) is supplied at the cathode, where it is reduced consuming electrons.

The costs which are accepted by the market for different applications are indicated in Fig. 8.17. The market introduction of fuel cells will be determined strongly by these costs requirements as fuel cells, similar to all new technologies, are cost intensive. Considering just these costs requirements, a market penetration of fuel cells as electrical power supply for consumer electronics (so-called 4-C area cellular phones, camcorders, computers, cordless tools) would be easiest. However, technological challenges still hamper fuel cells today in replacing batteries in these applications. 

Electrical coupling which makes use of reversible galvanic cells presents a much more flexible example. Theoretically, any chemical transformation can be used to transport electric charge from one terminal to another in a galvanic ceU. After all, practically all substances contain electrons and therefore allow for dividing each transformation into a partial process which supplies electrons and another which consumes electrons. This can be accomplished in many different ways. 

For consumer electronics companies, there is a risk to future sales. The landfill issues could rise as much as 500 percent and will be a barrier to driving new sales. As a result, waste and disposal needs to be adopted as the fourth moment of truth in the supply chain. Companies need to take ownership of disposal and design systems for demanufacturing and remanufacturing into the value network. CSR initiatives are here to stay. 

Medical device batteries are fundamentally the same as any other battery designed for consumer electronics, military, or aerospace applications. All require the same three components to be able to function as an electrochemical power source - a negative electrode (or anode) material to supply electrons, a positive electrode (or cathode) material that takes up electrons, and an electrolyte that completes the electrical circuit through ionic conduction. The other compmients in a cell are necessary to make the cell perform efficiently, minimize its size, and make it safe and reliable. These components include one or more separators that are electrically insulating to prevent direct contact between the anode and cathode but allow ions to pass through, current collectors to convey electrons to or from the electrodes and various insulators to prevent short circuits. 

The primary market for APUs for heavy duty trucks is the USA. Heavy duty trucks conunute long distances and often have a sleeper cabin equipped with fridge, consumer electronics, coffee maker, etc., aU equipment which requires more power than the battery can supply. 

Applications Automobile starting, lighting and ignition, and large backup power supplies Industrial, and emergency power applications, communication equipment Applications including HEVs and EVs Portable and consumer electronic equipment, electric vehicles, and space apphcations Portable and consumer electronic equipment, electric vehicles, and space apphcations... 

As suppliers take on more responsibility for technology innovation, they will need to become more agile and adept in managing the technology portfolio. This may create opportunities for the entry of more established suppliers from the consumer electronics to create modular systems. In some cases suppliers with high business volumes (because of multiple customers) can advance technology much more effectively than the OEM. The supply chain, as a whole, must determine what kind of partnership would be most effective. In what follows, we describe some of the elements of supplier management (shown in Fig. 4.1). 

The buyer s risk increases if one or more suppliers acquire the technological knowledge of the buyer, as those suppliers now becomes potential competitors. Thomson Consumer Electronics, a supplier of JVC, eventually moved into the JVC s market space as a competitor after acquiring the technologies from JVC (Bleeke and Ernst 1995). In additirai, if the technologies that suppliers bring to the supply base are critical for the buyer, the suppliers may threaten to hold it back it becomes a structural risk for the buyer. 

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