Fuel cell alternative approaches

Alternative approaches to nitric oxide formation include irradiation of air in a nuclear reactor (72) and the oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide in a fuel cell generating energy (73). Both methods indicate some potential for commercial appHcation but require further study and development. 

The DOE now has a fuel cell automotive program and the government has a somewhat abstruse alternative fuels approach. DOE s role is to support the research that validates the technology. It is up to the automakers to use it in vehicles and put it in the dealer s showrooms. 

Conventional batteries supply electrical energy from the chemical reactants stored within them when these reactants are consumed, the battery is dead . An alternative approach would be to feed the reactants into the cell as they are required, so as to permit the cell to operate continuously. In this case the reactants can be thought of as fuel to drive the cell, hence the term fuel cell. 

Automotive-Mobile Applications. Hydrogen storage and delivery systems coupled to fuel cells have the potential to provide a propulsion alternative to batteries. This approach... 

The ultradeep desulfurization of the current infrastructure fuels has become a bottleneck in the production of H2 for fuel cell applications. It is urgent to develop a more efficient and environmentally friendly process and technology for the ultradeep desulfurization of the hydrocarbon fuels. Consequently, many approaches have been conducted in order to improve the conventional HDS process and to develop new alternative processes. These approaches include catalytic HDS with improved and new catalysts, reactor and/or process, adsorptive desulfurization,27 oxidative desulfurization (ODS), extractive desulfurization (EDS), and biodesulfurization (BDS) by using special bacteria and others. Some of these works were reviewed recently by Topsoe et al.,15 Whitehurst et al.,28 Kabe et al.,29 Cicero et al.,30 Babich and Moulijn,31 Dhar et al.,32 Song,33 Song and Ma,16,34 Bej et al.,35 Mochida and Choi,36 Hemandez-Maldonado and Yang,37,38 Hemandez-Maldonado et al.,39 Topsoe,40 Brunet et al.,41 Gupta et al.,42 and Ito and van Veen.43... 

Thus, while the policy context for hydrogen could be different in the future, it isn t yet. Many of the same approaches used to develop, promote, and deploy alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are now being used to develop, promote, and deploy hydrogen fuel and fuel cell vehicles. For example, the following were key ingredients in early and continuing efforts to expand the use of alternative fuels ... 

Importantly, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles provide special attractions to automakers. By eliminating most mechanical and hydraulic subsystems, they provide greater design flexibility and the potential for using fewer vehicle platforms and therefore more efficient manufacturing approaches. As a result, the automotive industry, or at least an important slice of it, sees fuel cells as its inevitable and desired future. As noted by Jim Boyd in Chapter 10, automaker support was not evident in other movements to promote alternative fuels. 

The conversion of hydrocarbon to hydrogen will play an important role in 21st century, especially, for providing hydrogen for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). Currently, steam reforming of hydrocarbons, especially of CH4 (1), is the largest and generally the most economical way to make Hz. Alternative industrial chemical approach includes CH4 + HzO = CO H- 3Hz (1)... 

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