Energy Generation and conservation in Fuel Cell Essay

Energy Generation and conservation in Fuel Cell - Essay Example The fuel cell energy can be tapped in several ways before. First, they can be produced from biomass. These include the agricultural waste products, wood pulps from the paper manufacturing company and other crop wastes. These products are inserted into an enclosed fume chamber where biological and chemical reactions take place. They are broken down by some microbes, and hydrogen gas is produced. Since hydrogen gas is 14 times lighter than air, it escapes at the top of the fume chamber where it is trapped and stored for use. This trapped gas is more efficient and safe for use since it does not contain a lot of other gases. During the production of hydrogen gas in a fuel cell system, the natural gas is entered into the plant and delivered to the fuel processing subsystem. At this stage, some gases like the sulfur are removed. In addition, a preheating of the mixture (fuel) is done to reach the operating temperature of the cell. The gas is the delivered to the fuel cell where it undergoes the process of electrochemical oxidation to produce electricity or heat. The cell is much efficient with its efficiency ranging from 36 to 60 percent depending on the type of fuel cell in use. In a case where conventional heat equipment is used, a higher efficiency of about 85% can be achieved. Furthermore, people can make their own Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells so that they produce their own energy or electricity (Ralph 102). This process can be achieved through a series of steps.