In the past decade or two, fuel cells have attracted the attention of some developed countries mainly because of their following advantages:
01) High efficiency. Because the chemical energy of the fuel is directly converted into electrical energy without thermal energy conversion in the middle, the conversion efficiency is not limited by the thermodynamic Carnot cycle; because there is no mechanical energy conversion, mechanical transmission losses can be avoided, and the conversion efficiency is not affected by the size of the power generation scale. and change, so the fuel cell has a higher conversion efficiency;
02) Low noise and low pollution. In the process of converting chemical energy into electrical energy, the fuel cell has no mechanical moving parts, only some small moving parts in the control system, so it is low noise. In addition, fuel cells are low-polluting energy sources. Taking the phosphoric acid fuel cell as an example, its emission of sulfur oxides and nitrides is two orders of magnitude lower than the US standard;
03) Strong adaptability. Fuel cells can use various hydrogen-containing fuels, such as methane, methanol, ethanol, biogas, petroleum gas, natural gas and synthetic gas, etc., and the oxidant is inexhaustible air. Fuel cells can be made into standard components with a certain power (such as 40 kilowatts), assembled into different power and types according to the needs of users, and installed in the most convenient place for users. If necessary, it can also be installed into a large-scale power station and used in connection with the conventional power supply system, which will help to regulate the power load;
04) Short construction period and easy maintenance. After the fuel cell is formed into industrial production, various standard components of the power generation device can be continuously produced in the factory. It is easy to transport and can also be assembled on site at the power station. Some people estimate that the maintenance of a 40-kilowatt phosphoric acid fuel cell is only 25% of that of a diesel generator of the same power.
