Page 10 - Introduction to Transfer Phenomena in PEM Fuel Cells
P. 10
Preface
The recognition of new sources of energy that are green and renewable is
a necessity for young audiences in the scientific and technical field. These
non-polluting energies contribute to a more protected environment against
dangerous emissions, such as greenhouse emissions or those that affect air
quality.
The operating principles of energy conversion devices that convert these
renewable sources into useful energy must be known and controlled.
This educational book develops a broad overview of the different
physical phenomena that take place within a fuel cell. This book is intended
for students and young researchers in technical fields. It is essentially
composed of five sections as follows.
Chapter 1 introduces hydrogen as an energy vector that can be produced
in different ways and used in many applications. The different fuel
cell technologies are presented in this chapter. A special interest in the
proton-exchange membrane fuel cell is presented at the end of this chapter.
In addition, a quiz specific to this introduction is provided as a good
summary of the principles of hydrogen technology and PEM fuel cells.
In Chapter 2, charge transfer phenomena are discussed. This chapter
covers the thermodynamic and chemistry aspects of a fuel cell, the flow rates
of the reactants and products as well as some electrochemical notions. At the
end of the chapter, polarization phenomena and an overview of charge
transfer models are described.
