Fuel cell system considerations thermal management

Alternatively, the fuel cell stack can he operated at ambient pressure. Although this simplifies the system considerably and raises overall efficiency, it docs reduce stack power and increase thermal management challenges. 

This impressive list of attributes has provided the incentive for much of the research that has taken place on fuel cells in recent years. Naturally, the extent to which each of these characteristics is desirable depends on the application under consideration. Against these advantages should be set the many difficulties that have been encountered in the refinement of fuel cells towards practical power devices that are commercially viable, particularly when fuelled by natural gas, oil or coal. These primary fuels must first be reformed to hydrogen or methanol and then purified, which are tasks that present obstacles when chemical engineers seek to integrate the reformer to the fuel-cell stack and balance the characteristics of the two systems in terms of reaction kinetics and thermal management. 

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