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Engineers develop new fuel cells with twice the operating voltage as hydrogen fuel cells:
Liquid-fueled fuel cells are an attractive alternative to traditional hydrogen fuel cells because they eliminate the need to transport and store hydrogen. They can help to power unmanned underwater vehicles, drones and, eventually, electric aircraft — all at significantly lower cost. These fuel cells could also serve as range-extenders for current battery-powered electric vehicles, thus advancing their adoption.
Now, engineers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed high-power direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFC) that operate at double the voltage of conventional hydrogen fuel cells. Their research was published June 17 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
The research team, led by Vijay Ramani, the Roma B. and Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished University Professor, has pioneered a reactant: identifying an optimal range of flow rates, flow field architectures and residence times that enable high power operation. This approach addresses key challenges in DBFCs, namely proper fuel and oxidant distribution and the mitigation of parasitic reactions.
Importantly, the team has demonstrated a single-cell operating voltage of 1.4 or greater, double that obtained in conventional hydrogen fuel cells, with peak powers approaching 1 watt/cm2. Doubling the voltage would allow for a smaller, lighter, more efficient fuel cell design, which translates to significant gravimetric and volumetric advantages when assembling multiple cells into a stack for commercial use. Their approach is broadly applicable to other classes of liquid/liquid fuel cells.
[...] The key to improving any existing fuel cell technology is reducing or eliminating side reactions. The majority of efforts to achieve this goal involve developing new catalysts that face significant hurdles in terms of adoption and field deployment.
Journal Reference:
Zhongyang Wang, Shrihari Sankarasubramanian, Vijay Ramani. Reactant-Transport Engineering Approach to High-Power Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells, Cell Reports Physical Science (DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100084)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 20 2020, @12:06PM (6 children)
While you might be able to use a high-voltage stun-gun to make your rickshaw driver move faster, real electric vehicles require lots of amps.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 20 2020, @12:11PM (5 children)
Bzzzt, incomplete answer!
Vehicles (electric or otherwise) require power. Power (watts) is volts x amps. You need both Amps and Volts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 20 2020, @03:11PM
might be wrong but for me little amps doing lots of turns makes good magnetic field but needs thin wire if not to be ...errr... chubby. but lots of turns means a long wire and a thin wires means increased resistance which makes heat ... but you can push them little amps thru if you got the volts and maybe the heat can do something too?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 20 2020, @03:25PM (1 child)
Bzzzt, incomplete answer!
They also require tires.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 20 2020, @05:09PM
annnd, wheels,
axles,
suspension,
chassis,
etc.
Your point was what?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @02:30AM (1 child)
It is true that electrical power is equal to amps times volts. BUT electric motors need a lot of amps to generate a magnetic field powerful enough to spin the wheels and move the mass of the car forward.
That is where your mind messed up. The motors are the constraint here in the power equation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @10:05PM
Assume the road load power to maintain a constant 100 kph (62mph) is 10Kw (about 13 horsepower). Battery systen voltage in Teslas is around 350 volts. Assuming the motor is nearly 100% efficient, the current required is ~28 amps.
Porsche is now building nominal 800 V battery systems, in that case the current required is about 12 amps, assuming that the road load power is similar.
In each case the motor control electronics and the motor are designed for the voltage and current required. There's no mystery about "lots of amps".