The Fuel Cell Project

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The Fuel Cell Project

• Investigation into the use of
• Fuel Cells to produce electricity

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The Fuel Cell Project

• Introduction The First Leg of the Project
• The Fuel Cell Project is an investigation into
  the production of hydrogen gas and its use as a
  fuel stock to power hydrogen fuel cells producing
  electricity.

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The Fuel Cell Project

• During the first part of the project, students
  investigate the electrical energy output of
  photovoltaic cells which will be used to generate
  pollution-free sources of energy.
• This electricity will be run into an electrolyzer
  to produce hydrogen gas.

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• Using probes, students collect measurements on
  the voltage and amperes produced from a
  photovoltaic cell at increasing distances from a
  light source.
• Power is Voltage times Current
• Power Volts x Amperes Watts

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The Fuel Cell Project

• From these measurements (Volts Amperes),
  students calculate the power output as a function
  of distance.
• The results are presented in graph form.

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The Fuel Cell Project

• The Second Leg of the Project

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MAKING THE GAS

• During the Electrolysis Lab, students use the
  power provided from light radiation as an energy
  source to decompose water molecules into diatomic
  gas molecules, hydrogen and oxygen.

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Students analyze the results of the experiment.
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Linear Regression Analysis

• Students use a sophisticated linear regression
  analysis program to create the best fit line
  and to generate the best estimate of the slope
  of the line.
• The regression analysis takes into account the
  error associated with each data point.

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Physical Science

• The students in the physical science classes
  design and construct wind turbines to transfer
  the mechanical energy of the wind into electrical
  energy.

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The Wind Generators

• In the second leg of the project students will
  construct and test wind generators.
• Students will test final prototypes to determine
  power output, efficiency and production of
  electricity from an array of multiple wind
  generators.

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Wind Generators

• Students work with specific design templates and
  glue wood tussles and create a support structure
  on which to mount a wind turbine.

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The Wind Generators take shape
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Computer Analysis of Results

• Students analyze data of experimental results and
  begin to create a final project report.
• Students create digital images of the design
• Students create line graphs, bar graphs and pie
  charts.
• Students produce a textbook quality report.

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Experimental Results
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Experimental Results
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Designing an array of wind turbines

• Creating a power grid to position wind turbines
  at specific locations over an area to maximize
  output.

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An Array of Wind Turbines

• From an article by Barry Roman, the positioning
  of wind turbines is critical to optimizing their
  electrical output.
• The article suggests the turbines be placed 130
  centimeters apart.
• To facilitate an experiment, the turbines were
  placed 50 centimeters apart.

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THE THIRD PHASE OF THE FUEL CELL PROJECT

• In this phase of the project, students create a
  feedstock of sucrose and buffer solution and
  place a sample of dirt in the solution that
  houses a specific strain of bacteria.
• The goal is to create a fermentation process with
  the feedstock and bacteria which will produce
  hydrogen gas as a product.

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Bacteria fermentation in a buffered sucrose
solution

• Students prepare a a sucrose buffered solution in
  chemistry for biology students to begin the
  bacteria fermentation process.
• Three 250 ml buffered solutions will be set up in
  which bacteria will be added.

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The Bacteria Sample

• Dirt samples from tomato plants were brought in
  and used in the experiment.
• Eight grams of dirt was added to each of the 250
  ml buffered nutrition solutions.

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Testing for Hydrogen Gas

• The gas being produced through the fermentation
  process is bled off into a fuel cell.
• A voltage probe connected to the fuel cell will
  indicate if the gas is flowing into the cell.
• A fuel cell will produce electricity if it has a
  source of hydrogen.

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Results from Bacteria Fermentation Process

• On February 28, 2005 the students in Mr. Bakers
  Honors Sophomore Biology Class successfully
  produced 200 ml of Hydrogen gas from a
  fermentation process.
• The process isolated a specific type of bacteria
  that produces hydrogen gas as a product.

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Results of the Fermentation Process

• Students connected the hydrogen storage
  containers that housed the captured gas and
  transferred the gas to a fuel cell.
• The fuel cell produced a voltage of 0.88 volts
  and a current of 0.02 amperes.
• The power output was 0.0176 Watts
• This is about 1 joule of electricity /minute.

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PHYSICAL SCIENCEInvestigating solar light
intensity vs. angle of incline
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FUEL CELL PROJECT

• Physical Science students are using photovoltaic
  cells as solar radiation sensors.
• Voltage measurements are indications of the
  strength of solar radiation.
• Specific angles generate specific voltages.
• Solar radiation intensity is proportional to the
  voltage produced by a photovoltaic cell.

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Students record both voltage and amperage
produced by photovoltaic cell
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Voltage is recorded for every change in the angle
of the cell.
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The Fuel Cell Project

• Students in the chemistry classes are beginning
  to experiment with arrays of fuel cells
• How are these arrays set up?
• What is the power output of the arrays?
• What is the efficiency of the arrays?
• How can we use this power produced by the fuel
  cells?

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Building Fuel Cell Arrays
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Free continuous flow of hydrogen gas vs. gas fed
independently
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A Three-Array Air-Intake Fuel Cell System
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A Five-Array Oxygen-Intake Fuel Cell System
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Students Observe an 18-Array Fuel Cell System
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THE FUEL CELL PROJECT

• During Memorial Day weekend 2005, Mr. Reivas
  Chemistry class ran an experiment to produce
  hydrogen gas from the fermentation of bacteria
  within a sugar medium.
• 114 ml of hydrogen gas was produced over an 84
  hour period.

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BREAKING FREE OF FOSSIL FUELS

• In the Fuel Cell Project students take the
  Home-Grown Hydrogen System outside and pursue a
  pollution-free process making electricity and
  transferring it to work.

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