These fuel cells typically use platinum catalysts to achieve maximum volumetric and specific efficiencies.įlowing electrolyte designs use a more open matrix that allows the electrolyte to flow either between the electrodes (parallel to the electrodes) or through the electrodes in a transverse direction (the ASK-type or EloFlux fuel cell). Water production is controlled by evaporation from the anode, which produces pure water that may be reclaimed for other uses. Static, or immobilized, electrolyte cells of the type used in the Apollo space craft and the Space Shuttle typically use an asbestos separator saturated in potassium hydroxide. H 2 + 2 O H − ⟶ 2 H 2 O + 2 e − Ĭarbonate formation depletes hydroxide ions from the electrolyte, which reduces electrolyte conductivity and consequently cell performance.Īs well as these bulk effects, the effect on water management due to a change in vapor pressure and/or a change in electrolyte volume can be detrimental as well.īecause of this poisoning effect, two main variants of AFCs exist: static electrolyte and flowing electrolyte. At the anode, hydrogen is oxidized according to the reaction: The fuel cell produces power through a redox reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. ![]() NASA has used alkaline fuel cells since the mid-1960s, in the Apollo-series missions and on the Space Shuttle. They are among the most efficient fuel cells, having the potential to reach 70%. Alkaline fuel cells consume hydrogen and pure oxygen, to produce potable water, heat, and electricity. The alkaline fuel cell ( AFC), also known as the Bacon fuel cell after its British inventor, Francis Thomas Bacon, is one of the most developed fuel cell technologies.
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