Page 12 - Introduction to Transfer Phenomena in PEM Fuel Cells

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Introduction to Hydrogen Technology

Global issues such as pollution and global warming, as well as the
increasing scarcity and depletion of fossil fuels, have highlighted the
urgency of resorting to green and renewable energy sources. Moreover, the
intermittency and irregularity of these sources have exposed the need to store
energy in a chemical form, for example, as hydrogen.

Hydrogen appears to be an interesting environmentally friendly
alternative to the oil or fuel that is currently used to produce energy. It is an
energy vector that can store and transport energy.

Hydrogen can be stored and/or transported in different forms. The main
method currently used to transport hydrogen between production and use
sites is to use liquid hydrogen flowing through pipelines. The most discussed
storage method currently concerns the use of hydrogen in embedded
applications.
In addition to its non-polluting character, it allows the production of
thermal and mechanical energy and electricity. However, the conversion of
hydrogen into energy is the subject of several studies and research. In this
initial part, we will present the hydrogen energy sector, with particular focus
on the technology of the PEM fuel cell [AFH 18, AUP 13, BOU 03,
GAR 00, GUP 08, MIS 13, RAJ 08, SAI 04].