Investigating Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Kit No. P310

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS AND PROCESSES

• Decisions involving technology require assessment of alternatives and evaluations of benefits, risks, and trade-offs
• Chemical reactions occur and may release or consume energy
• Stoichiometric relationships can be used to calculate the amount of reactants, products, and energy consumed or released in a chemical reaction
• The total energy of the universe is constant. Energy can be transferred but not (created or) destroyed

This module focuses on hydrogen fuel cell technology as a potential solution to our current energy concerns. Students begin the module by considering some tradeoffs involved when using various fuels, including hydrogen, for powering vehicles. During the second activity, students first employ specially designed electrolyzers that use electric current to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen gas and then explore the chemistry and energy consumption involved in the process. In the next activity, students use a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell that consumes the H2 and O2 fuel as it generates electricity that is used to power a small electric fan. While the fuel cell is operating, students also observe the gas consumption and measure the voltage and current of the electricity produced. To further their understanding of the chemistry involved, students are introduced to oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions and half-reactions as a means of creating electric current. They then use both a computer simulation and a manipulative model to illustrate how a PEM fuel cell operates. To conclude the module, students apply the concept of Gibb’s Free Energy to compute the efficiency of the fuel cell in converting the energy in H2 to electricity and then use the data collected throughout the module to identify the advantages of, and the challenges facing, fuel cell powered vehicles.

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