Hydrogen-Fuel cell
Le contexte global de la filière hydrogène
Hydrogen is a storable energy carrier. It can be produced from electricity (water electrolysis) or from hydrocarbons (reforming).
A fuel cell is an electrochemical system which, when supplied with hydrogen will produce electricity without any CO2 reject.
To produce hydrogen, there are three main methods, depending mainly on the type of material used.
Today the main network for hydrogen production is from hydrocarbons: the technique of steam reforming separates hydrocarbons into two: hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). This technique is only moderately attractive because of the use of fossil fuel. However, it has the advantage of channeling pollutants and to facilitate processing, (eg carbon dioxide sequestration).
The hydrogen storage is one of most challenging technological of the sector. Several methods exist for storing hydrogen: gas storage and chemical storage (metal hydride or chemical).
The technology of composite materials is now used to develop reservoirs.
There are other skills related to gas management (pressure regulator, compressor, safety, sensor, hydrogen refuelers) have also to be considered.
The hydrogen-related technologies are constantly developing to meet the energy and environmental constraints. Today the use of hydrogen through fuel cell systems, used for production, storage or distribution, are reaching interesting levels of maturity from a technical point of view. However safety standards are not yet established and require a specific study to be part of a realistic industrial context.
There are several types of fuel cells. They are generally classified according to the type of electrolyte used or operating temperature. There exist low and high temperature fuel cells. Each has specific characteristics that make it better for some applications than others.
Low temperature fuel cells are AFC (Alkaline Fuel Cell), PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell), DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cells) and PAFC (Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell).
