Working On New Fuel Cell System

[P-man]

Hey I've been working on this system and I need feedback to make it better. I've basically thought of using the heat that the fuel cell in a car generates to boil water and use the steam to run a turbine. Then I could either use the electricity form the turbine to make more hydrogen or help run the motor. I dunno if this would be practical, but it sounded like a good idea, so I started working on it.

[Vending]

it certainly is an interesting idea. I like that you are trying to come up with ways to use the heat that is generally considered waste. However, I think from a practical standpoint there are at least two problems. They are that water is heavy and so are turnbines. Thus, you will be luging around more weight and expending more energy to carry that weight than it would be capable of generating. However, please do not take this as gospel truth, this is just more my scientific intuition talking.

 

Cool idea though. Keep thinking for sure!

[Guest jamongo]

Hi P-Man,

You are certainly not alone in thinking along these lines. If you haven't already seen this, you might want to take a peek at this link:

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/01/05/314939.html

It would seem to me, that the inefficient internal combustion engine should have been replaced years ago. I just don't know why it hasn't been.

Keep thinking and you may be the one to come up with a good answer.

Good luck!

 

(Yeah, I own one of those inefficient things myself. :cup:)

 

edited for spelling error

[P-man]

Cool.

 

Anyways, I think if the turbines were made of titanium or something light like that, then it would be OK. And in normal cars, gasoline is more heavy than water anyways.

[Vending]

Actually, water has a density of 1 g/ml while gasoline has a density of 0.74g/ml. SO gasoline is lighter than water. Also, another difference lies in the fact that gasoline is consumed by the car. As far as turbines go, titanium may help somewhat, but the electromagnets that must be used to convert the turning of the turbine to electricity are heavy as well.

 

Just more food for thought :cup: