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Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology B.E. - Automobile Engineering SAUA3012 Fuel Cell and Applications Syllabus

SATHYABAMA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SAUA3012 FUEL CELL AND APPLICATIONS
L T P Credits Total Marks
3 0 0 3 100

UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF FUEL CELLS 9 Hrs.
Overview of fuel cells – Need of fuel cell, History, Principle and overview of fuel cell, Basic electrochemistry for all the fuel
cells, Low and high temperature fuel cells; Fuel cell thermodynamics - heat, work potentials, prediction of reversible voltage,
Nernst equation; Effect of temperature, pressure, concentration on Nernst potential fuel cell efficiency, Concept of
electrochemical potential.

UNIT 2 FUEL CELL TYPES 9 Hrs.
Types of fuel cells – Alkaline Fuel Cell, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell, Solid Oxide fuel cell, Molten Carbonate fuel cell, Direct
Methanol Fuel Cell, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell – relative merits and demerits, comparison on battery Vs fuel
cell.

UNIT 3 FUEL CELL COMPONENTS AND PERFORMANCE 9 Hrs.
Fuel cell performance characteristics – current/voltage, voltage efficiency and power density, ohmic resistance, Butler-
Volmer equation; Tafel equation, kinetic performance, mass transfer effects – membrane electrode assembly components,
fuel cell stack, bi-polar plate, humidifiers and cooling plates.

UNIT 4 FUELING 9 Hrs.
Hydrogen storage technology – pressure cylinders, liquid hydrogen, metal hydrides, carbon fibers – reformer technology –
steam reforming, partial oxidation, auto thermal reforming – CO removal, fuel cell technology based on bio-mass.

UNIT 5 APPLICATION OF FUEL CELL AND ECONOMICS 9 Hrs.
Fuel cell usage for domestic power systems, large scale power generation, Automobile, Space, Economic and
environmental analysis on usage of Hydrogen and Fuel cell. Future trends in fuel cells.
Max. 45 Hrs.

COURSE OUTCOMES
On completion of the course, student will be able to
CO1 - Understand the fundamentals of fuel cells.
CO2 - Compare different types of fuel cells with their merits and demerits.
CO3 - Understand the performance characteristics of fuel cell.
CO4 - Understand various fueling technology.
CO5 - Know about the applications of fuel cell in various fields.
CO6 - Analyze the cost effectiveness and eco-friendliness of Fuel Cells.

TEXT / REFERENCE BOOKS
1. J. Larminie and A. Dicks, Fuel Cell Systems Explained, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2003.
2. Xianguo Li, Principles of Fuel Cells, Taylor and Francis, 2005.
3. S. Srinivasan, Fuel Cells: From Fundamentals to Applications, Springer, 2006.
4. 'Hayre, R. P., S. Cha, W. Colella, F. B. Prinz, Fuel Cell Fundamentals, Wiley, NY, 2006.
5. Basu, S. (Ed) Fuel Cell Science and Technology, Springer, N.Y, 2007.
6. Fuel Cells for automotive applications, Professional Engineering Publishing UK. ISBN 1-86058-4233, 2004.
7. Fuel Cell Technology Handbook SAE International Gregor Hoogers CRC Press ISBN 0-8493-0877-1-2003.

END SEMESTER EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER PATTERN
Max. Marks: 100 Exam Duration: 3 Hrs.
PART A: 10 Questions of 2 marks each - No choice 20 Marks
PART B: 2 Questions from each unit of internal choice; each carrying 16 marks 80 Marks