Fuel cell stack explained

The fuel cell stack assembly is described in this video. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell components are shown in details. Starting from a 5-cell stack, 2 cells are added to complete a 7-cell stack. Assembling process is described step by step. Comments in English.
See details of this product at http://www.pragma-industries.com.
This is not a video about HHO generator but fuel cell as power generator.
Video Rating: / 5

Elon Musk gives his views on hydrogen fuel cells and why they are extremely silly.

40 thoughts on “Fuel cell stack explained”

  1. In this type of experimental cell, it appears that the graphite plates are the actual conductive Anode and Cathode for each cell, right? Then the gold colored metal Anode and Cathode plates are the "final" contact plates for the entire stack? If this is true, then are the gaskets (o-rings) between the plates also conductive? (or is the stack compressed enough to cause intimate contact between adjacent graphite plates?)

    The PEM membrane… this is considered the "electrolyte"… but it is a non-chemically reactive film, but simply a material that's "porous" to the hydrogen ions, but insulates the electrons?

    What is the process that causes the ion to leave the hydrogen molecule? Isn't it a catalytic process? If so, where does the Platinum catalyst come into play? Are there nano-scale platinum particles embedded into the surface of the graphite plates in the gas distribution channels? Is this the process that's exothermic, or is it the recombination of O2 and the Hydrogen ions that gives off heat? (or both?) Do both Anode and Cathode undergo heating?

    (I'm just trying to piece together "bits and pieces" of information I've gathered from various sources.)

    Is there any advantage to using pure O2 as the oxidizer, instead of atmospheric "air" – which is very diluted? (such as less damage to the PEM or the Anode/Cathodes)

    Also, what would happen if the H2 supply had small amounts of O2 as well… would the O2 be discharged as part of the H2 "exhaust" (outlet) stream? … or would the presence of O2 inhibit the stripping of the Hydrogen ions?

    What is the typical single-pass H2 conversion efficiency? Would this efficiency be increased if the oxidizer were O2, not "air"?

    Reply
  2. Hi, Pragma Industries,
    Could you kindly provide information about the electrolyte pads?
    What is the electrolyte pads made of and what is the life span of them?

    Reply
  3. I have only one billion worth question. How you prevented oxidisation from water ? There thousands companies who do same but no one prevented oxidization . This is what them stopping. You can make one from platinium but that wont be worth doing that due to metal price. So how you prevented oxidization in your fuelcels ? I dont know any cheap metal or substance who wont oxidizing in water. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Can an SOFC fuel cell use liquid petroleum gas or butane or methane as fuel ?
    How much does a testing stack such as in the video cost ?
    Could you theoretically power a house with many stacks, and would it be reasonable and pragmatic (price and implementation) ?

    Reply
  5. Hi,this is Amy from China. We are a full service purveyor of Graphite Materials and Graphite Products.I saw Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates in your video. If any needs,please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. since electrons can't pass the mea, how do the electrons in a second cell get back to the current collector?

    Reply
  7. since electrons cant pass the mea how do the electrons in a second cell get back to the current collector? my understanding of this is it gets to the bipolar plate but from the bipolar plate how do they get to the current collector/endplates? this has really been bugging me could someone answer?  thank you 🙂

    Reply
  8. Your video was so cool to me but I didn't understand some details. Could you please give me some file instruction? Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  9. what he says is correct BUT… when you factor in whats needed to make those fancy batteries and the environmental impact that those materials cause both before and after the life of the battery. NOT TO MENTION the cost to create such batteries. HHO is far more efficient and cost effective. oh and fuck batteries because supercapacitors are the future. they can charge extremely fast (1-10 seconds) and if needed can discharge instantly. i also believe that a compact hand charger can be made. there is a youtuber that replaced his car battery with a few much smaller super capacitors.

    elon musk you greedy little retard

    Reply
  10. Stop the saying running green when your applying dirty filthy air polluting manufacturing to get the green is just hypocrisy at its finest lies.

    Hydrogen cars are not green as claimed in full context, sure they run green but the route to get their is the LIE.

    from wiki as far as todays current 4 main production sources of obtaining hydrogen.

    ""There are four main sources for the commercial production of hydrogen: natural gas, oil, coal, and electrolysis; which account for 48%, 30% 18% and 4% of the world’s hydrogen production respectively"

    Read how #4 is currently done ? as elon stated, it costs to much to split water the power needed to do the process costs way more then the amount of hydrogen power it produces in that method. As Elon stated way to inefficient very stupid. Hes right learn before arguing with him.

    Methods 1,2,3 are very not green clean refining processes to make hydrogen, so its Ok to say your green, and support it, when its a filthy polluting process to make that green energy, stop the lies of hypocrisy.

    Every hydro station in California currently is getting the hydro from, the same gas/oil company that sells them the same normal gas for gas powered cars currently since hydro is one of the many byproducts of oil refineries currently anyways.

    Yet they claim they are green driving such a car, yet they embrace the refining process to drive such a vehicle in ignorance, since its refined in a current non green manner, Hydrogen been that way for long long time now in production. Non of the tech for it is new at all, hydro making.

    Go ahead ask Toyota and its so called partners who's supplying / mfg that hydro for their stations, i guarantee its not a #4 sourced method.

    Reply
  11. and what about the process to make all of your batteries elon? the mining, the explosions, the shipping, the precious metals etc?

    Reply
  12. why was mr Musk at the Bilderberg this year….why he ( mis ) use the name of a great man who drive allready a electric car back in the 1900….Never heart of Stanley Meiyer.Hydrogen works better and much cheaper.

    Reply
  13. Batteries take forever to charge and don't have near as much range. I think he holds electricity in such high regard because it's the easiest way out, the challenges hydrogen pose are too much for him, he's "lazy". Hydrogen is the fuel of the future.

    Reply
  14. Ok ! So "Felon Husk" is a complete party clown of oildiotism! Fuel Cell is about making a whole new kind of economy! The hydrogen based economy which brings water in desertified regions and makes people think about clean environment ! This clown just does not get the point of economy mechanics. His shiftiness is depressing stupid and deadly boring meanwhile. Hydrogen economy is zhe next naurally logical step after dirty oil economics. Oil isretarded anyway and his tesla batteries are not effective and he did not present any new technology in batterry production, guess i´m gonna sell all my tesla shares soon.

    Reply
  15. This was 2016, just one year later the electrolysis technology can have a efficiency up to 80%, which was forseable in 2016. But nobody can cover all the interesting technologies by himself. After all he's not Superman

    Reply
  16. Hydrogen is derived from oil and carbon monoxide is deluted from the tailpipe so therefore water works because Stanley Meyer proved it, facts line up with science.

    Reply
  17. Charlie in the chocolate factory taking the piss out of mercedes benz. "Silly". Yeah sure.. wait who will smile last.

    Reply
  18. Both sides have drawbacks. The problem with lithium ion batteries is that they eventually stop working. While hydrogen can be just filled up.

    As of right now, batteries are more convenient, and implementation is way easier since you can plug your battery powered car to your home outlet. You cannot cheaply put a refilling station in your home.

    Reply
  19. hidrogen is produced using electrolysis. electric cars use that electricity directly. hidrogen is very very explosive and leaks easily so iti needs special storage in car and to store. electric cars can do 300-400 km per charge now driving normally.
    and more importantly, average Joe can use a wall socket or get some solar panels to fuel the electric car. average Joe can't do that with hydrogen. he buys it from Shell!
    for electrics the main issue is the batteries. they do not charge comfortably fast but it's evolving. if you charge at home overnight or at work then you actually do not have to spent time at the gas station. the battery packs seem to last quite some time so they may be repurposed (as storage maybe) after a while and then recycled. yeah, it creates waste but so does extracting oil, refining and burning gas. there is work to do on battery tech, solar panels, super caps and so on.
    thing is electric is possible, affordable and practical now and it gets better fast. electric won!

    Reply
  20. In other words: instead of utilizing free solar energy to create hydrogen from water anywhere anytime, let 's carry around the dead weight of batteries and continue dependent on the electric grid, and the wait time to recharge those batteries.

    Reply
  21. Battery cars will always be limited to city commuters as people don't want to wait more than two minutes to charge a car.. For commercialy used cars, buses trucks & interstate drivers, they will need a longer range & faster refueling. The only alternative that don't rely on carbon based fuels is hydrogen.

    Reply
  22. You hydrogen fans can argue all you want. It doesn't matter. Hydrogen is a crappy solution for myriad practical reasons, and it has failed in the marketplace. H2 is dead. Batteries won. Deal with it.

    Reply
  23. i used to believe in hydrogen, but to refuel for same distance driving (say 300 miles), mirai cost 80$, almost double the cost to refuel a gasoline car. only crazy and rich left pussies will use that way.

    and hydrogen cars are not leading or dominating the market (EV is doing now), so it is almost hopeless for hydrogen cars to reduce its cost by expanding its scale……..

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Андрей Бураков Cancel reply

two × four =