H2 Fuel Cell Technology
A fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity by an electro-chemical
process. A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between an
anode and a cathode. There are different types of fuel cells ? the Proton Exchange
Membrane (PEM) fuel cells being used in the CUTE trial operate in the following
way:
| Hydrogen is fed to the anode where
a catalyst separates the negatively-charged electrons in
the hydrogen from the positively-charged protons |
 |
| Protons move through the membrane
to the cathode |
| The electrons from the anode side
of the cells cannot pass through the membrane to the positively-charged
cathode. They travel via an electrical circuit to reach the
other side of the cell. This process produces the electrical
current. |
| At the cathode, oxygen from the
air combines with electrons and protons to produce water
and heat. |
| To generate enough power to drive
the bus, the many individual fuel cells are connected to
each other and built up into "stacks".
|
| |
|
|
