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Welcome to the University of Delaware Department of Mechanical Engineering Fuel Cell Research Laboratory
 What is a fuel cell? Fuel cells convert the energy contained in a fuel directly to electricity by combining it electrochemically with an oxidant. Thus fuel cells are like batteries, except that they will continue to produce electrical power as long as they are supplied with fuel and oxidant. The product of the hydrogen fuel cell reaction is water, so fuel cells do not produce harmful emissions. Fuel cells can operate at efficiencies that are substantially higher than internal combustion engines of comparable size. In addition, they are quiet, do not have moving parts, and can supply power with high reliability. For these reasons, fuel cells have the potential to solve several major challenges facing the world today: dependence on petroleum imports, poor air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. 
Fuel cells have three main application areas: automotive (cars and
buses), stationary power (residential and commercial), and portable
electronics (laptops, cell phones, etc.). Automotive companies
have demonstrated fuel cells for transportation worldwide.
Stationary power supplies are already available commercially.
And, in the near future, it will be possible to power laptops for long
durations with fuel cells that use small tanks of fuel that can be
easily replaced after use.However, fuel cells face significant challenges before they will find common acceptance, namely, cost and the lack of a hydrogen infrastructure. Fuel cell components are expensive today although mass production will reduce costs in the future. The search for new, less expensive, more durable materials is an active research area. DOE targets for performance, power density, efficiency, transient response, and durability also represent stiff  challenges for research. Apart from the fuel cell, the technology
for producing, storing, transporting, and
dispensing hydrogen safely in large quantities also needs to be developed in parallel.Our Fuel Cell Research Laboratory (FCRL) is currently focused on Hydrogen PEM fuel cells, and Direct Methanol fuel cells. Research issues in PEM cells include water management, reactant gas transport, evaluation of permeability of gas diffusion materials, and the manufacture and testing of custom fuel cells. For DMFC, we are evaluating the use of metal foams for distributing reactant to the electrodes, and novel methods to mitigate the effect of CO2 production. We have also embarked on a major project to research: build and demonstrate a fuel cell powered transit vehicle in the state of Delaware. We welcome you to use the links to the left to take a virtual tour of our FCRL! |
Dr. Ajay Prasad
Dr. Suresh Advani
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