One earlier achievement in this area was Los Alamos' solution of how to operate PEM fuel cells on impure hydrogen fuel. By bleeding low levels of air into the fuel feed stream, Los Alamos researchers removed the carbon monoxide catalytically within the cell, allowing fuel cells to run as well on contaminated hydrogen as on highly pure hydrogen. Fuel Cell Fundamentals A fuel cell is an electro- chemical energy conversion device. It is two to three times more efficient than an internal combustion engine in converting fuel to power. A fuel cell produces electricity, water, and heat using fuel and oxygen in the air.
Water is the only emission when hydrogen is the fuel.
The electrons, which cannot pass through the membrane, flow from the anode to the cathode through an external circuit containing a motor or other electric load, which con-sumes the power generated by the cell. When the cells are stacked in series, the operating voltage increases to 0.7 volts multiplied by the number of cells stacked. If cars were powered by electricity generated from direct hydrogen fuel cells, there would be no combustion involved. In an automotive fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen undergo a relatively cool, electrochemical reaction that directly produces electrical energy. This electricity would be used by motors, including one or more connected to axles used to power the wheels of the vehicle.