Closed Cycle Hydrogen Fuel Cell Question

Anaraxes · 10-03-2014, 02:47 PM

My copy (maybe not 2e) mentions options for a fuel processor to crack water, as well as the possibility of extra tankage to store the water produced by the fuel cell, avoiding the need to seek out a source of water for refuelling. The process involves a 10% loss of energy; you need some other power plant to do the cracking.

Which is necessary, of course. A fuel cell that could crack water using the power it got from combining the hydrogen and oxygen, plus some extra power, would be a violation of thermodynamics.

That secondary powerplant could also have a smaller output than the fuel cell, at the cost of running it longer. You could produce 1/10th the power for ten times as long, "charging up" the fuel for the fuel cell which expends it faster. Might be useful for combat and short-endurance ships. But, it seems like they'd leave the cracking to their carrier or ports, and save the expense of carrying the secondary power plant.

10-03-2014, 02:47 PM	#2
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: Closed Cycle Hydrogen Fuel Cell Question My copy (maybe not 2e) mentions options for a fuel processor to crack water, as well as the possibility of extra tankage to store the water produced by the fuel cell, avoiding the need to seek out a source of water for refuelling. The process involves a 10% loss of energy; you need some other power plant to do the cracking. Which is necessary, of course. A fuel cell that could crack water using the power it got from combining the hydrogen and oxygen, plus some extra power, would be a violation of thermodynamics. That secondary powerplant could also have a smaller output than the fuel cell, at the cost of running it longer. You could produce 1/10th the power for ten times as long, "charging up" the fuel for the fuel cell which expends it faster. Might be useful for combat and short-endurance ships. But, it seems like they'd leave the cracking to their carrier or ports, and save the expense of carrying the secondary power plant. Last edited by Anaraxes; 10-03-2014 at 07:33 PM.